McHenry Boat Crash Leaves Couple Dead

A husband and wife are dead after a boat crashed into a McHenry County home Saturday evening.

According to FOX32, at approximately 5:40pm, witness said that an open motorboat was seen traveling very fast up and down the Fox River, just south of the Snuggery restaurant. The boat was driving aggressively, weaving in and out of other boaters, cutting back and forth across the waterway.

The boat then left the river and hit the shoreline at a high rate of speed in the 600 block of Country Club Drive.

The boat then traveled 73 feet from the shoreline before coming to rest on land. The hull of the boat was separated into two pieces, according to authorities.

The boat operator has been identified as Timothy Mertins, a 62-year-old man from McHenry, who was airlifted to Condell Medical and pronounced dead around 8:40 p.m. Saturday, according to the Lake County Coroner's Office. Initial autopsy results determined Mertins died from
blunt force injuries sustained in the crash.

The female passenger, a 61-year-old woman from McHenry, identified asJulie Mertins, the wife of Timothy Mertins, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her identity has not yet been released.

According to officials, emergency crews spent several hours combing through the wreckage scene & debris.

No word yet on if drugs or alcohol were involved.

The crash remains under investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and McHenry County police.

Link to Couple Obit Page