Two Illinois men were injured Monday night when their boat hit a Voyageurs National Park boat at anchor.
According to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, a boat operated by Theodore E. Olson, 55, was traveling southwest of Burnt Island in Sand Point Lake when it struck the Park Service boat in the stern, extensively damaging both boats. Olson and his father, Rolland T. Olson, were taken to the Cook Hospital, where they were treated for injuries including cuts, bruises and possible broken bones. Both men are from Norwood Park, Ill.
Two National Park employees escaped injury.
According to the Sheriff's Office, the weather was clear and calm at the time of the accident and the park boat was anchored, doing survey work, when it was hit. It appears the Olsons were using a GPS mapping unit and might have become distracted by it, failing to keep a proper lookout for other boats. Alcohol was not a factor in the accident.
