A Chicago woman who underwent a double amputation after she was struck by a boat in the “Playpen” over the summer on Wednesday filed a lawsuit accusing the boating company and the vessel operator of negligence.
Lana Batochir was floating on an inflatable raft in the no-wake boating hot spot south of Oak Street Beach in August when a 37-foot yacht suddenly reversed, sucking her under it. Both of her feet were severed by the vessel’s propeller.
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Batochir filed a complaint in Cook County Circuit Court naming as defendants the company that owned the boat, Chicago Aqualeisure, LLC, and its captain, Joseph Neverauskas. Neither immediately returned messages seeking comment.
Neverauskas was operating the yacht, La Aqua Vida, as part of an excursion when the boat started drifting forward while he tried to anchor it, according to the lawsuit. Neverauskas then put the vessel in reverse and hit Batochir.
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Neverauskas failed to maintain safe speeds and a proper lookout, the suit alleges.
The suit also alleges that Chicago Aqualeisure, owned by Theresa Tran who is also named as a defendant, failed to properly supervise and train its employees and agents.
The lawsuit is asking for a monetary judgement.
Batochir faces a long recovery after both her legs were amputated following the crash.
“Lana’s catastrophic injuries were entirely preventable and happened because of the Defendants’ actions and inactions,” her attorney, Michael D. Ditore, said in a statement. “Lana, a young, vibrant mother of two children, is permanently disfigured; she suffered and still suffers excruciating pain; and she has a long, long rehabilitation in front of her.”
Batochir earlier this year wrote on a fundraising page that she would have drowned if her husband hadn’t pulled her from the water.
“I felt myself drifting down like an object, I knew I would die,” she said.
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com
