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OAKLAND COUNTY, MI – A deadly year on Oakland County lakes nearly got worse on Thursday night.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office responded to Elizabeth Lake in Waterford Township shorty before 8:30 p.m. after receiving a report that an unoccupied boat was out of control and spinning in circles.
Shoes and clothing were also spotted in the water, deputies said.
“I thought this sure sounds like we’re going to have another tragic death,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said, noting there’s been 11 drownings in the county in 2024.
“Our team activated and thankfully by sheer luck, that was not the outcome.”
The 17-foot boat, with the throttle fully forward, eventually ran out of gas and was recovered. Deputies found a safety lanyard was attached to the key, which was still in the ignition.
A 35-year-old Waterford Township resident was identified as the boat’s owner. He told deputies that he and his passenger, a 24-year-old woman from Wixom, were both thrown from the boat in wake.
Both were able to swim to shore, but could not recover the runaway boat, deputies said.
Alcohol was involved in the incident, but the main factor was the owner’s inexperience operating a boat, deputies said.
“In this instance, we had multiple failures that by the grace of God did not end up with someone seriously hurt or killed,” Bouchard said in a statement.
“Not wearing personal floatation devices, consuming alcohol and not utilizing a safety lanyard with auto shut off capability was a recipe for a tragedy. I implore people to use common sense and water safety sense.”
Deputies didn’t know how far the two people had to swim to reach shore. They were not identified by name and no charges were announced.
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