Boating accident on Wahnapitae River kills Wisconsin man

A 76-year-old Wisconsin man drowned during the evening of Aug. 27 after his motorboat capsized in the Sturgeon Chutes on the Wahnapitae River.

The man had been vacationing at an area lodge, and had gone out for fishing with a local youth earlier that day. Concern was raised when the pair failed to return for dinner, and the lodge owner went out to look for them.

He found the youth, the body of the elderly man and their damaged boat on the shores of the chutes.

The victim had been operating the boat when he was caught in the whirlpools near the falls, and both occupants were tossed into the water.

Although there were lifejackets on board, only the youth was able to pull his on before they were tossed into the water. Once the youth surfaced, he was able to pull the unconscious older man to shore. His attempts at CPR failed to revive the victim.

A post-mortem was conducted at Sudbury Regional Hospital, which determined the cause of death was drowning. Alcohol was not a factor in the accident.