Woman identified after boat capsized on Lake Michigan at Winnetka Beach – NBC Chicago

The woman who was pulled from the waters of Lake Michigan on Monday after a sailboat capsized on Lake Michigan’s north shore has been identified.

According to the Cook County Coroner, the woman was identified as 53-year-old Cristen Bolan.

Bolan was one of two boaters who fell from a 12-foot sailboat when it capsized Sunday night, officials said. The other boater swam about two miles to shore and alerted authorities that Bolan was missing, officials added.

A search and rescue mission was immediately launched, with the Winnetka Fire Department working with neighboring communities and the Coast Guard to help locate the missing swimmer, officials said.

According to authorities, several boats, drones and helicopters were used in the mission.

Later Monday morning, Coast Guard officials said a body had been pulled from the water near the capsized boat. The victim was taken to Chicago’s Montrose Harbor, officials added. The harbor is the “closest location where the Coast Guard’s 45-foot boat can offload the patient.”

During transport, the victim was found to be in critical condition. Later Monday, the Chicago Fire Department announced that the victim was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Port of Montrose.

A preliminary investigation shows the boat had left Evanston and capsized around dusk, the village of Winnetka said. Both boaters were wearing life jackets, officials said.

The incident was one of several drownings and water accidents that occurred on Lake Michigan over the course of three days, including a 16-year-old boy who died when a raft capsized and a man who fell from a boat in Chicago’s Lake Michigan “playpen” over the weekend.