Pain lingers on anniversary of boating death
By JILLIAN DUCHNOWSKI - jduchnowski@nwherald.com
|
| The Jurgens family – (from back row left) Lauren, Cassandra, Rachel, Leah (center front row), and Carolyn – continues to grieve the loss of Nicole (front row left)) in a boating accident a year ago today. (Photo provided) |
John Jurgens had to walk around after officials told him that his 21-year-old daughter was killed in an alcohol-related boating accident last summer.
Jurgens remembered Nicole urging others to avoid drinking and driving after her uncle – John’s 50-year-old brother, Mike – was killed by a drunk driver Aug. 11, 2007. In less than 10 months, he received another cryptic, early-morning phone call and had another funeral to plan.
“They took us off to a room [at Centegra Hospital-McHenry] and they said they tried to save her but they couldn’t,” John Jurgens said a year after the July 6, 2008, accident.
Nicole’s death is still fresh in her friends’ and family’s minds. They make pins with her photographs to wear at each court date for Ricky McGuire, 56, of Wonder Lake, who was charged with operating under the influence in connection with the fatal accident. Authorities have said McGuire’s blood-alcohol level was 0.179 percent, which is more than twice the legal driving limit.
That accident was the only fatal boating accident last year in which state authorities attributed the primary cause to alcohol, Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Stacey Solano said.
Alcohol was considered a contributing factor in incidents last year in which a man drowned in Lake Michigan and another man drowned in the Mississippi River after deciding against calling authorities because he had struck an object, which disabled his boat, while driving drunk, according to the 2008 boating accident report.
Families urge responsible drinking
The Jurgenses planned to mark the first anniversary of Nicole’s death Sunday with a balloon launch and a picnic near the cemetery where she is buried. They hoped that authorities enforce DUI laws vigorously during holiday weekends such as the Fourth of July and that those who drink find safer ways to travel.
John Jurgens said he was surprised that bars didn’t offer taxi services, perhaps through a fee added onto alcohol prices. Or maybe they could have self-service Breathalyzers so drinkers have no doubt how much alcohol is in their system before they walk out the door or take the wheel of a boat, he said.
“We can’t stop someone from going to a party and drinking,” Nicole’s mother, Suzanne, said. “But they can be responsible about it.”
Cindy Lebrecht, whose husband, Dave, also was injured in the accident, said she always had told her children and their friends that they could call her at any time if they needed a ride after they had been drinking. And she said she had followed through on that promise more than once.
A late-night accident
On July 5, 2008, Nicole decided to go fishing with Dave Lebrecht, a childhood friend’s father whom she also called “Dad,” rather than out with friends. Nicole was a pretty blonde who enjoyed babysitting and was studying for her GED. She recently had rented a house in Wonder Lake and reunited with her boyfriend, Leo Alonso, now 24.
“She had a personality that everyone wanted to have, including her sisters,” said her sister, Leah.
But she was pronounced dead about an hour after McGuire’s 18-foot Sea Ray collided with Lebrecht’s idling 15-foot Starcraft about 12:30 a.m. July 6, 2008. An autopsy revealed that she died from trauma to the chest, abdomen, and pelvis – injuries consistent with the crash. Lebrecht suffers lingering back problems after being thrown from the boat during the accident, Cindy Lebrecht said.
McGuire’ defense attorneys have argued that alcohol did not cause the fatal accident, but rather, that Lebrecht’s boat had no lights or other illumination. Lebrecht’s family has denied that claim.
The criminal case is set for trial Nov. 30, and a civil case in which Lebrecht and Nicole’s family seek more than $50,000 from McGuire remains pending.
A lingering loss
As the legal proceedings drag on, so does Nicole’s family’s grief.
“It’s hard to get up in the morning,” John Jurgens said. “It’s hard to go to work, just knowing that she’s gone and she’s not going to be coming back.”
They remember the girl who was so eager to see the world that she once turned a weekend escape to Wisconsin Dells into a road trip to Texas. Then a teenager, she collected key chains from each state to prove to her mother that she and her friends had indeed taken the impulsive trip.
Her sister Leah discovered that she was pregnant on the day of Nicole’s funeral and chose her son’s middle name in honor of Nicole. Jonathan Cole is about 3 months old, but his mother is sometimes sad that he’ll never meet his fifth aunt.
“I think he’s been our saving grace,” said Leah. “He’s been the positive thing that’s come into our lives.”
By the numbers
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources tracks boating fatalities, including those caused primarily by alcohol.
Year Primary Cause Alcohol Total fatalities
2008 1 13
2007 1 13
2006 5 18
2005 2 16
2004 5 18
Comments
Show / Hide Comments
Show / Hide Comments
