Manitou Beach, MI – A 28-year-old Jerome man was pronounced dead at the scene Saturday night after a snowmobile operator struck the man’s ice shanty on Devils Lake in Lenawee County.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers Andrew Monnich and Sgt. Shane Webster responded with officers from the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office at 7:23 p.m. after receiving the notification from Lenawee County Dispatch.
When officers arrived, they observed the snowmobile tangled in debris from the ice shanty. The 28-year-old who was occupying the shanty was unconscious, laying in the debris. Webster and Monnich immediately moved the man to a safe location and began performing CPR.
Conservation Officer Brandon Vacek arrived on scene with an automated external defibrillator and administered one shock to the man. Officers continued to administer CPR until EMS arrived.
The snowmobile operator, a 33-year-old man from Hudson, was treated on the scene by EMS for minor injuries and voluntarily submitted to a toxicology blood draw; the results are pending, and the incident remains under investigation.
The DNR is not releasing names pending the open investigation.
“This unfortunate event is an important reminder to always operate your snowmobile at a safe speed, especially in the dark or when visibility is low,” said Lt. Todd Szyska, DNR law enforcement supervisor in Detroit.
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*Courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources*