Marina Owner Drowned in Six-foot Deep Water in Marina Slip, Michigan

SUMMARY

In Summer 2017, a male marina owner in his 80s drowned after falling into six-foot deep water at a boat slip located in a marina on a river. The decedent was working at the marina, perhaps on a boat, and when he did not return home at his normal time, his spouse tried to contact him. Unable to reach him, she called a family member who went to the marina. Unable to find him, emergency response was contacted. The responding sheriff department found him floating upright in the water, under a boat slip walkway. The bottom was described as mucky. The decedent was not wearing a personal flotation device.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

• Personal flotation device (PFD) and non-slip shoes not worn
• Emergency escape ladders or life rings not installed escape
• Cluttered, narrow boat slip walkways
• Medical condition may have caused him to lose balance
• Working alone

RECOMMENDATIONS
MIFACE investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should:

• Wear a PFD and non-slip shoes while working on docks and boats.
• Place safety ladders and life rings throughout the marina.
• Boat slip walkways should have a non-slip surface.
• When working alone, establish a check-in procedure with another individual to help assure prompt emergency assistance.

Marina Owner Drowned in Six-foot Deep Water in Marina Slip, Michigan [PDF 765 KB]