SPENCER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WWJ - Divers have recovered the body of a snowmobiler from a western Michigan lake.
Kent County Sheriff's Sgt. Joel Roon said 29-year-old Joseph Brown was found dead in Lincoln Lake in Spencer Township, northeast of Grand Rapids, Thursday afternoon.
Roon said searchers used sonar-equipped underwater robots, then an underwater camera, before divers recovered the man's body in water 50 to 60 feet deep.
The search for Brown began Wednesday night after another snowmobiler called 911, at around 10:30 p.m., to report the pair had been snowmobiling on the lake when Brown apparently drove into open water.
The 911 caller was found on unstable ice and was rescued by a fire department hovercraft, which, along with a drone, was then used to search for the missing rider. After several hours without any sign of the missing man or his snowmobile, the search was suspended; resuming Thursday morning with an underwater recovery team.
"Joseph's tracks led to an area of open water," Roon told WWJ Newsradio 950. "This open water was actually created by Clear Creek, which flows into Lincoln Lake; and it's due to that moving water that this portion of Lincoln Lake does not freeze over very well."
Roon said some of the Brown's person effects were found nearby.
"He had taken his helmet off, we know that," Roon said. "There were some other items on the ice that would indicate that he was making an effort to get to the ice shelf, and I believe that he was doing that as his friend pulled up on his snowmobile."
As always, the U.S. Coast Guard warns that no ice is inherently safe -- even less so when temperatures fluctuate wildly like they tend to do in Michigan.
Ice is unpredictable and the thickness can vary, even in small areas. Warm temperatures and currents, particularly around narrow spots, bridges, inlets and outlets, are always suspect for thin ice. Stay away from cracks, seams, pressure ridges, slushy areas and darker areas since these signify thinner ice, and note that ice near the shoew like may also be weaker.
The Coast Guard recommends doing the following before heading out onto the ice or onto the water:
• Always wear a life jacket. A life jacket allows a person to float with a minimum of energy expended and allows the person to assume the Heat Escape Lessening Position by bringing the knees close to the chest and holding them in place by wrapping the arms around the shin portions of the legs.
• Dress for the water temperature not the air temperature. Don't let warm temperatures deceive you. Wear a dry suit in any cold-water environment to increase the chance of surviving a fall into the water.
• Hypothermia is the biggest danger after falling into the water, even if one manages to get out immediately. Every minute counts in a cold water environment. Hypothermia sets in quickly as the human body's core temperature drops below 95 degrees (35 degrees C). Preparation may mean the difference between a life saved or a body recovered. Cold water drains a body's heat up to 25 times faster than cold air.
• Dress in bright colors, wear reflective clothing, patches, or tape, and wear an exposure suit that is waterproof. The chance of locating a person in distress is increased when the individual wears bright and reflective clothing.
• Never go out on the water alone; always use the buddy system.
• Carry a registered personal locator beacon in addition to a marine radio to alert the Coast Guard and local safety agencies of potential distress. Consider a waterproof hand-held model that can be worn.
• Carry safety devices such as visual distress signals, a sound-producing device, or screwdrivers or hand picks that can be used to pull yourself out of the water if you fall through the ice.
• Always tell family and friends where you are going and when you expect to be back. Stick to the plan and notify them when plans change.
