ILLINOIS (WBC/DANA COMM.) — The trends in boating accidents are shifting.

For many, hearing the term ‘boating accident’ conjures up images of bigger, motor-powered watercraft but DNR Conservation Police Captain John Williamson indicates as recreation activities like kayaking and canoeing become more popular, that is where most of the fatalities and emergency response incidents are going.

This report coming on the heels of a recent tragedy that saw 69-year-old Charles “Chuck” Poettker — founder, chairman and CEO of Poettker Construction Company based in Breese — drown in a Kentucky Lake after jumping into the water from the rear swim platform of a boat that was anchored at the time.