Indiana crews to resume efforts to recover capsized boat from Lake Michigan; man dead, another hurt

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Saturday, March 22, 2025 1:36PM
Capsizing incident leaves man dead; efforts to recover boat to resume
Oak Forest man Thomas Barragan died and another was injured when a boat capsized in Lake Michigan near East Chicago, Indiana, officials said.

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (WLS) -- A man is recovering on Saturday morning after a boat capsized in Lake Michigan, killing another man on board.

It happened on Friday afternoon off the coastline near East Chicago, Indiana. Two men were fishing on the vessel when it capsized and went into the water, the Lake County Sheriff's office said.

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Crews are expected to back out on the lake on Saturday morning, working to bring back that boat after high winds interfered with their efforts on Friday.

The man who died was later identified as 73-year-old Thomas Barragan of Oak Forest.

Officials say Barragan went missing after the boat capsized. Divers later recovered his body, and he was pronounced dead on the scene.

The other man in the boat at the time is also from Oak Forest, officials said. A good Samaritan rescued him in a different nearby fishing boat.

He was taken to a local hospital in unknown condition, officials said. ABC7 was told he has hypothermia, but is expected to survive.

Officials said there were 5-foot to 6-foot waves on Friday in Lake Michigan at the time, with the water temperature at 37 degrees when the 19-foot fishing vessel flipped near the East Chicago steel mill.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is investigating.

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