Two speedboats collided after dark Thursday on the Fox River in St. Charles, knocking a woman out of one boat and sending her to the hospital.

According to a report from the St. Charles Police Department, police and fire personnel responded to the crash at around 11:10 p.m. Thursday (July 6, 2017). When emergency personnel arrived at the river’s edge for the Pottawatomie Golf Course, the occupants of the two boats were attending to a 33-year-old woman who was injured in the crash.

An Ebbtide (above) and a Seadoo Sportster (below) are the types of boats involved in the St. Charles crash. These images do not represent the exact models.

Kathryn Gazzola of Downers Grove was thrown into the water as a result of the crash, police said. She was transported to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Officers learned that Jared Younglove, 27, of West Chicago was operating a Seadoo Sportster boat and collided with an Ebbtide boat being operated by Eric Repp, 34, of St. Charles. Gazzola was a passenger of the Ebbtide.

Officers determined that impairment was not a factor in this crash. The crash remains under investigation and no citations have been issued at this point.

A neighbor across the river reported hearing the crash and came over in a boat to assist.

Todd Surta, 61, of 3N857 Route 31, St. Charles, interfered with emergency personnel as they tried to attend to the victims and investigate the crash. Surta was told by four officers to leave the scene. Surta was warned that he would be arrested if he did not leave.

Police said Surta continued to obstruct their efforts and was taken into custody after a brief struggle. He was charged with one count of Resisting and Obstructing a Peace Officer, a Class A misdemeanor. He posted bond and was released.

Police said Surta attempted to start another fight with officers as he left the station. He was assigned a court date of 9 a.m. Aug. 17, 2017, at the Kane County Branch Court.

The charges against Surta are not proof of guilt. he is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

SOURCE: St. Charles Police Department news release