A 71-year-old White Lake man died and a Taylor man was injured after a boat traveling at an excessively high speed crashed Tuesday afternoon on Oxbow Lake in White Lake Township, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
The crash happened at about 2:28 p.m. on August 25, when the boat became airborne, came down on its side and sank in roughly 50 feet of water, investigators said. The operator, identified as Kirk Magnuson of White Lake, went underwater with the vessel and did not resurface.
The passenger, a 56-year-old Taylor man, was thrown into the water during the crash. Nearby boaters saw what happened and pulled him from the lake before emergency crews arrived. He was taken to McLaren Oakland in Pontiac for treatment and was reported to be in stable condition.
Search for missing boater
White Lake Township police and fire crews were dispatched after a 911 call reported the crash. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office later took over the investigation and coordinated a search involving its Search and Rescue Team and Marine Division.
Rescue crews used boats equipped with sonar to search the area where the vessel went down. Divers from the Sheriff’s Office and the Southeast Michigan Dive Group, along with firefighters from Shelby Township, took part in the recovery effort.
Magnuson’s body was eventually located approximately 50 feet below the surface and recovered. The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy and determined that Magnuson’s cause of death was accidental drowning.
The boat was also recovered from the lake and impounded as the investigation continues.
Investigators cite speed and lack of flotation devices
According to investigators, Magnuson was operating the boat at an excessively high rate of speed when he lost control. Authorities also determined that neither Magnuson nor the passenger was wearing a personal flotation device when the crash occurred.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard described the incident as a preventable tragedy and credited the nearby boater who witnessed the crash and immediately helped the passenger.
Authorities said alcohol is not believed to have been a factor in the crash. The investigation remains ongoing.
Bouchard also praised the search-and-rescue crews involved in the operation, which continued for hours before Magnuson and the submerged boat were recovered.
The incident remains under investigation by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
