Mom Whose Feet Severed In Chicago Boat Accident Recounts Ordeal: 'I Thought I Would Die'

CHICAGO, IL — Lana Batochir planned to spend Saturday relaxing on Lake Michigan, soaking up the last rays of summer. Instead, her life was changed forever.

The 34-year-old mother of two lost both feet after a boat reversed into the inflatable raft where she and her friends had been enjoying the day at The Playpen near downtown Chicago.

“Everything happened so fast,” Batochir wrote on a GoFundMe page established to help cover her medical expenses. “We were all under his boat within seconds. The boat’s propeller struck me, leaving me with unimaginable pain. I thought I was dying. I fought for my life for seconds, which felt like minutes.”

Batochir’s husband pulled her from the water.

“As I was getting pulled onto the boat I glanced at my legs and realized that both my legs were gone,” she wrote.

Batochir was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she underwent surgery and was admitted to intensive care. She is scheduled to have a below-the-knee amputation on both legs as well as a targeted muscle reinnervation nerve surgery.

“It still feels like a nightmare,” Batochir wrote. “My life has completely changed because of one unfortunate tragedy.”

The person driving the boat had attempted to set anchor in The Playpen when the windlass malfunctioned, and, while trying to fix it, the captain put the boat in reverse and backed over the raft, pulling the victims into the prop wash, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. In addition to Batochir, a 28-year-old woman from Washington state suffered a severe laceration and required partial amputation of her right pinkie finger, according to the department.

“Even though it feels like the worst thing that happened to me, I still feel very lucky to be alive,” Batochir wrote. “I thought I would die. I’m grateful I will be able to hug and kiss my kids, my husband, my family, and my friends. I will get through this and come out stronger with my new lifestyle.”

Batochir does not have health insurance and is seeking donations as she navigates multiple surgeries, a lengthy hospital stay and rehabilitation. As of mid-day Wednesday, the fundraiser had received more than $75,000 in contributions.

“I look forward to be able to walk again with the use of prosthetic legs,” Batochir wrote. “I will try my best to continue to have a full life and adjust to my new beginnings.”

Anyone with video of the incident or information about it is asked to contact the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3QSphKg.