The estate of a U.S. Marine veteran killed in a Fox River boating collision and her fiancé, Alan Telmini, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Richard Stevenson in McHenry County Circuit Court. The filing by Chicago-based law firm GWC Injury Lawyers comes after prosecutors charged the 45-year-old defendant with aggravated DUI and reckless homicide in the Saturday, July 25, crash that claimed the life of 48-year-old Magdalena Jablonska.

According to the lawsuit, Stevenson was operating a newer model South Bay tri-toon pontoon boat equipped with three 500-horsepower outboard motors and was traveling at speeds exceeding 75 mph in a no-wake zone. Prosecutors stated his blood alcohol content measured nearly three times the legal limit and that he had been drunk and speeding when his vessel struck the victims’ boat from behind at 80 mph.

Stevenson appeared in court on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, and was ordered held until trial. Court filings reveal he is charged with one count of reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI causing death.

An obituary published for Jablonska described her as someone who “left this world far too soon” and honored her service as a U.S. Marine veteran. A visitation is scheduled for 3-8 p.m. on August 9 at Ryan-Parke Funeral Home in Park Ridge.

Victim Remembered as Selfless and Devoted

Michelle Macias, Jablonska’s sister, recalled the victim as a person who always placed others first. “The most selfless and kind person you would ever meet,” Macias said, adding that her sister “never [did] anything for herself, always for everybody else.” The family said Jablonska, who immigrated to Chicago from Poland, joined the Marines immediately following high school graduation and maintained a deep passion for dogs, frequently visiting shelters to see the puppies.

The collision decapitated Jablonska, according to the criminal complaint, and prosecutors noted that emergency personnel did not immediately find all of her body. Officials retrieved part of a human head from the Fox River south of the collision location on July 29 in the evening. Her fiancé sustained critical injuries in the crash, and her dog also suffered harm.

Defendant’s Extensive Criminal Record

Prosecutors presented Stevenson’s lengthy history of driving violations to justify pretrial detention, calling him a “ticking time bomb” whose record extends back more than 20 years. Court documents show his criminal history includes four misdemeanor speeding convictions, three convictions for fleeing and eluding police, three reckless driving convictions, and two DUI convictions.

Witnesses reported seeing Stevenson pick up a “bucket of Fireball whisky bottles” and drink the liquor as he steered the pontoon boat, according to prosecutors. They added that he stopped at a bar and drank two more shots before the collision, characterizing the outing as “alcohol-fueled” as he sped through the recreational waterway.

After the collision, Stevenson admitted to another witness that he had been drinking and stated his life was over, prosecutors said. He stayed at the scene and was subsequently taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, where he allegedly refused blood tests and urine tests.

Response From Authorities and Employer

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office arrived at a boat collision with injuries at the 1800 block of Fernwood Lane on the Fox River the day of the incident. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Police Department investigators subsequently took over the case and carried forward with the investigation.

Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg issued a statement addressing the tragedy. He expressed frustration and sadness over what he characterized as preventable and reckless conduct on the Fox River that resulted in a fatality and left another victim critically injured. He noted the victims had been simply spending time on the area’s recreational waterways and extended his sympathies while expressing hope for the recovery of the injured victim.

Stevenson Crane Company also released a statement expressing sympathy to the families of the victims. The company noted Stevenson was employed in its equipment sales department, did not hold a leadership position, and that his employment was terminated. The company stressed the crash had no connection to any official company activity. Stevenson had been employed by the family-owned firm in Bolingbrook.

In keeping with Jablonska’s lifelong devotion to animals, her family is now raising money for animals in the aftermath of her death. They have also expressed hope that Stevenson will be held accountable so that no one else is harmed. As Macias put it, the family is placing its faith in the justice system to “do right by her so nobody else gets hurt.”

Macias said her sister always went beyond all limits for the people in her life. Family members described Jablonska as a bright presence who was always ready to help others, a trait they said came naturally to her as a Marine.

Authorities have not released additional details about the condition of the injured fiancé. The case remains under investigation as it heads toward Stevenson’s next scheduled court appearance.