Man Dies After Bizarre Boating Accident On Lake Fenton

FENTON (WWJ) - Authorities say a 57-year-old man died after his leg was severed in a bizarre boating accident on Lake Fenton.

It happened around 1 p.m. Thursday at the docks on Brown Street, off of Long Lake Road. Police say Mark Elmer and 53-year-old Tom Mark were at Elmer's father-in-law's house to move his boat off the lake for the season.

Mark told police they could not get the boat off of the hoist because the water level in the lake was too low. In an attempt to break the boat free from the hoist, Mark was revving the boat's engine while Elmer was jumping on the back of the boat.

As Mark was revving the engine, he told police he heard Elmer fall into the water and scream that he cut his leg. Mark told police it wasn't until he tried to pull Elmer on the dock that he realized Elmer had actually fell on the boat propeller, severing his right leg.

Mark was unable to lift Elmer onto the dock, so he helped move him to shallow water and made a tourniquet with his belt. He then ran across the street to a neighbor's house and asked them to call 911. When Mark returned to the lake, he said Elmer struggling to breath. At that point, a Genesee County Sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene and began CPR.

Paramedics arrived shortly thereafter and rushed Elmer to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.

The incident remains under investigation.