The wife of a man killed in a boat crash on Lake Michigan is suing the driver who she claims was drunk when he guided it into a break wall off the coast of East Chicago, Indiana, leaving another man dead as well.
The driver woke up in the water and swam for nearly two hours without a life jacket to get to shore after the 42-foot boat slammed into a wall between a steel mill and the East Chicago Marina at more than 60 mph about 3 a.m. July 23, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Timothy Dunlap, a 62-year-old resident of south suburban Lynwood, was found dead in the water hours later, as was 68-year-old Hammond resident Richard Wade, authorities said at the time. They were the only other people on the boat. Both suffered blunt force trauma in the crash.
The younger victim’s wife, Cheryl Dunlap, filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court claiming the driver was intoxicated and caused the wreck. Authorities said at the time that low visibility, speed and alcohol were considered factors in the crash, but it wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday night if any citations or charges had been issued in the case.
Also listed as defendants are the Calumet Yacht Club, which the suit claims over-served the driver, and ArcelorMittal, the steel company that the suit claims failed to maintain a warning light for boaters marking the break wall. Representatives could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday evening.
Dunlap is survived by his wife and three adult children, according to the six-count wrongful death suit, which is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
