A White Lake man is dead and a Taylor man injured after a high-speed boating accident Tuesday on Oxbow Lake that Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard called an "incredibly sad and preventable tragedy."
Kirk Magnuson, 71, was operating a boat at "an excessively high rate of speed" at about 2:28 p.m. on Aug. 25 when the boat went airborne, struck the water on its side and sank in approximately 50 feet of water on Oxbow Lake in White Lake Township, according to an Oakland County Sheriff's Office statement.
Magnuson's passenger, a 56-year-old Taylor man, was thrown from the boat and rescued by nearby boaters, but Magnuson disappeared beneath the surface.
Oakland County Sheriff's Office deputies, Search and Rescue Team, and members of the Southeast
Michigan Dive group responded, and divers ultimately located Magnuson approximately 50 feet below the surface. He was brought to shore, where he was pronounced deceased.
Preliminary investigation determined Magnuson was operating the boat at an excessively high rate of speed when he lost control.
Bouchard noted that excessive speed on the water can turn dangerous in an instant and neither man was wearing a life jacket, which "can mean the difference between life and death."
"One person tragically lost their life, and we are extremely fortunate a nearby boater saw what happened, immediately responded, and was able to save the other individual," Bouchard said. "We are grateful for that citizen’s quick and selfless actions. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of the person who lost their life. Please, slow down, wear a life jacket, and never take safety on the water for granted."
Bouchard also expressed his gratitude to a combined search and rescue team that, in extremely difficult conditions, located Magnuson and the boat and brought both to the surface.
Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the incident. An autopsy determined the cause of Magnuson's death was accidental drowning.
The crash remains under investigation.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: White Lake man dies in high-speed boating accident on Oxbow Lake
