Man Wasn't Wearing Life Vest In Lake Minnetonka Drowning
LAKE MINNETONKA, Minn. (WCCO) -- Divers are still looking for the body of a man who has been missing in Lake Minnetonka since Saturday night.
Around 7:30 p.m. the man he was boating with friends on Smith's Bay, near the north end of Lake Minnetonka. Officials say the victim is a man in his 40's from Minneapolis.
Officials say the man jumped from the boat into the water, swam 25 feet and tried to help a friend get his jet ski untangled from some of the seaweed.
While he was swimming back to the boat, the man struggled in the water. His friends attempted to rescue him but they were not able to do so. Officials say they don't think the man was wearing his life jacket.
A day after the accident, people boating on Lake Minnetonka say this recent string of drownings reminds them of the importance of following safety rules.
The Stahleckers have been boating on Lake Minnetonka for years and on their family boat, there's only one rule: wear a life jacket.
"It doesn't matter how old you are, if you're on our boat, you wear a life jacket when you go diving in, in the middle of the lake cause you never know what's there," said Debbie Stahlecker.
The Long Lake Fire Chief said that mentality may have saved a life.
"Things can happen in shallow water, things can happen in deep water. But if you have your life preserver on, it's less of a chance," said Long Lake Fire Chief James Vaneyll.
The Long Lake Fire Department is one of the agencies patrolling Lake Minntonka. They've had boats out all day long looking for the body.
Although officials say the man who died only swam 25 feet before drowning, they say while that distance is typical, it was not the fatal factor.
"Twenty-five feet is not that far but you're talking the water temperature is 78 degrees," said Vaneyll. "If you'd been out all day already, so you're kind of exhausted, whether you're overheated or dehydrated, and then you're fighting the weeds."
Vaneyll said they've seen a rise of incidents on the water this year simply because there are more people on the lake.
"A little bit with the warm weather and people are trying to stay around and be more local," said Vaneyll.
A total of three boats, along with one sonar boat, have been searching Lake Minnetonka. Although they've gotten hits with the sonar of cars and bicycles, they say still nothing in the way of a body.
