Magdalena Jablonska, 48, of Des Plaines was identified after a Fox River boat crash near South Fernwood Lane in McHenry, in the Stevenson Crane case. The McHenry County Coroner's Office said she suffered life-threatening injuries in the collision, and investigators tied the crash to Richard Stevenson.
“Magdalena Jablonska, 48, of Des Plaines suffered life-threatening injuries in a boat crash on the Fox near the 1800-block of South Fernwood Lane in McHenry.” Jablonska suffered blunt force injuries to her body and head. Richard Stevenson, 45, was charged with reckless homicide and DUI in the same crash.
Richard Stevenson on the Fox River
Prosecutors alleged Stevenson was driving a 30-foot pontoon boat under the influence of alcohol at 80 miles per hour before it struck another boat on the river. They said security footage from a home along the Fox River showed the pontoon on Saturday afternoon, and another video at 12:40 p.m. showed it passing by nearly two hours before the crash.
Prosecutors said the pontoon entered a no-wake zone and struck the rear of a green Crownline boat. A woman seated in the passenger seat was driven over and decapitated, and her husband was taken to a hospital.
South Fernwood Lane in McHenry
The pontoon came to rest on a riverbank, where a witness on Riverside Drive found Stevenson. He was later taken to a hospital. Prosecutors said a blood draw allegedly showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.20, which they said was 2.5 times the legal limit.
Two other people were aboard Stevenson's boat. Both left the scene Saturday and were later interviewed by police, and both told investigators Stevenson had taken multiple shots of Fireball whiskey that day. One passenger also said Stevenson was traveling 80 miles per hour before the collision.
Aug. 5 Court Return
Prosecutors cited a period between 1997 and 2005 that included three DUI arrests, four misdemeanor speeding offenses, three reckless driving offenses and fleeing and eluding police. They also cited a 2023 misdemeanor speeding violation for driving 26 to 34 miles per hour over the speed limit.
Stevenson is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 5. The case now moves from the crash scene to the courtroom record, where the speed, alcohol allegations and witness accounts will shape the next hearing.
