Shorewood Cops Rescue Band of Boaters

Shorewood police officers rescued a group of kayakers from the DuPage River Tuesday afternoon.

A group of four kayakers spilled into the drink in Hammel Woods, said police Cmdr. Eric Allen.

When officers arrived shortly after 3 p.m., one of the boaters had managed to make it onto the riverbank, Allen said. Another was safely on the dam. A third, who was wearing a lifevest, was clinging to a tree limb and holding onto a fourth.

The fourth kayaker had plunged under the water. After officers pulled him to safety he was transported to Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center.

Allen said the hospitalized boater was responsive.

The kayakers were reportedly riding over the dam when their watercrafts capsized.

The boaters ranged in age from 19 years old to one who appeared to be in his mid-40s, Allen said.