Fox River Drowning Wrongful Death Suit Returns to Court

Attorneys for the city of Geneva seek to dismiss a suit filed by the family of Naperville resident Randy Suchy, who drowned while rescuing a 12-year-old boy he had taken fishing on Aug. 5, 2011.

The wrongful death suit filed by the family of a man who drowned in the Fox River near the Geneva dam in 2011 returns to court Dec. 13, court documents indicate. The city of Geneva and Geneva Park District were sued by the family of Naperville resident Randy Suchy, who drowned while rescuing a 12-year-old boy he had taken fishing on Aug. 5, 2011. According to an article on the website of Briskman Briskman & Greenberg, the lawfirm representing the family members, the wrongful death lawsuit claimed that “the city of Geneva knew it was unsafe and potentially lethal for children and adults to be on land in close proximity to the water, and the downstream side of the Geneva dam.” Geneva's attorneys asked a judge to dismiss the suit, according …

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Geneva Police Issue Warning on Water Safety—As One-Year Anniversary of River Drowning Approaches

As the Aug. 5 anniversary if Randy Suchy's death approaches, Geneva police remind residents of the dangers of the Fox River dam.

As the one-year anniversary of Randy Suchy's tragic drowning death approaches, Geneva police officials are reminding area residents to stay away from the dam. The 59-year-old Naperville man died on Aug. 5 after trying to save the life of a 12-year-old boy who was fishing with him and had fallen into the Fox River at the Geneva dam. A group of bicyclists—later recognized for their "uncommon bravery"—saw Suchy struggling to save the boy, contacted police and joined efforts to save them. Geneva Police Department and Fire Department personnel jumped into the roiling water, pulled the man and the boy to safety but could not resuscitate Suchy. Now, almost a year later, the river is lower than past years due to the drought. But it is no less …

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No. 6 Story of 2011: Man Drowns Trying to Save Kids in Fox River

Randy Suchy dies after attempting to save a 12-year-old caught in the undertow while fishing at the Geneva dam. Other heroes emerge, as well.

  Any time you hear me complaining in the future—and you will—about public officials' reluctance to share timely information on matters of public safety, remember this: Those Geneva men and women who respond to fires, make river rescues, take charge when there's a traffic accident, resuscitate your dad when he's having congestive heart failure, save a woman from a violent domestic dispute, protect our homes and prosecute the badguys are heroes. It's just a fact. They are men and women of action, and though they are just as human and capable of fault as any of us, they deserve every accolade and all our gratitude. So it was on Aug. 5, when Geneva rescuers dove into the Fox River near the Geneva dam in attempts to save Randy Suchy, 59, of …

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Jeff Ward: Notes on West Suburban Civilization

Jeff Ward: How to Cope with a Spate of Suburban Summer Tragedies

Striking a balance between our fears and illusions of immortality.

Soon after we learned of 40-year-old Elmhurst resident Amy Martich’s death in the the New York Nautica Triathlon, Elmhurst Patch Editor Karen Chadra and I had a brief e-mail exchange on the seeming randomness of life. There’s something very unsettling about a triathlete dying during a race. And for some indeterminate reason, this particular “randomness” always seems to rear its ugly head just as the sun starts sinking a bit lower in the summer sky. It started with a 29-year-old Glen Ellyn man who was killed when his motorcycle collided with a Schaumburg semi at Irving Park Road and Mitchell Boulevard in late June. On July 29, a pedestrian walking along the Metra tracks near the Lisle Fifth Street station was struck and killed by an inbound…

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