There has been an influx of water-related injuries and deaths throughout the past week in Minnesota. On June 11 and 12, there were reports of 3 individuals dying from separate water-related accidents and one injured.
Long Lake
Crass County Sheriff Tom Burch reported that on Friday, June 11 at 9:15 a.m., a water skier on Long Lake in Inguadona Township lost consciousness while skiing and struck his head.
The Chaska man, who is 24, was being pulled by a boat when the accident happened, and the Crass County Sheriff’s Office was called. Friends and family present pulled the victim from the water and performed CPR onshore.
Deputies arrived on the scene and assisted in the resuscitation efforts, regaining a pulse before the victim was transported via helicopter to a Twin Cities hospital.
William O'brien State Park
On June 12 at 4:02 p.m., the Washinton County Sheriff’s Office was called and informed of a man who had gone missing on the St. Croix River.
Chandramohan Laghuvaram, 46, was on a family outing when he and his other family members were swimming in the river when he went missing.
Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies, the Washington County Fire and Dive Rescue Team, and Lakeview EMS responded to the call to search for the missing man.
Laghuvaram was pulled from the river after being located in approximately eight feet of water. Lakeview EMS brought him to shore and attempted CPR but were unsuccessful. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner and Washington County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the cause of death.
Quarry Park
Stearns County Water Patrol staff was working at Quarry Park in Waite Park when they were notified of an individual who had jumped into the quarry and never resurfaced on June 12, at 8:07 p.m.
Zakariya Aden Odowa, 18, of St. Cloud, was identified as the victim. Waite Park Fire department attempted to locate his body, but they were unsuccessful in doing so.
The Stearns and Benton County dive Team also responded and eventually found Odowa’s body in approximately 25-feet of water. He was brought to shore, where the fire department and Mayo ambulance attempted to give life-saving efforts. Odowa was then transported to the St. Cloud Hospital and was pronounced dead.
Ham Lake pond
Authorities reported that a toddler was airlifted to a Twin Cities hospital last night after being pulled from a pond in Ham Lake.
First responders arrived on the scene at about 7 last night when they began attempting to resuscitate the child.
The child was airlifted to Children’s Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis. At this time, there have been no further reports or updates on the child.
