The death of a 21-year-old Highland Township man, who authorities said drowned on Tuesday while swimming with a buddy in Independence Township's Townsend Lake, underscores why water safety is so important — especially now.
Nationwide, more drownings occur in July than any other month, and overall, they appear to be on the rise, with more than 4,000 a year, after decades of decline.
It's not entirely clear why, but last year, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified more than 4,500 deaths caused by drowning, which was about 500 more a year in 2020, 2021 and 2022, compared with 2019, before the pandemic.
"No one should have to lose a loved one to drowning," Tessa Clemens, the report’s lead author said in a CDC statement about the report. "Improving access to effective prevention strategies, like basic swimming and water safety skills training, can reduce drowning risk."
The report from the nation’s public health agency didn’t conclude why there are now more drownings or predict whether the increase is a temporary spike or a trend, but it did emphasize that swimming skills and water safety education were vital to preventing them.
The findings also didn’t tie the increase in drownings directly to the pandemic, but it is possible that when public spaces — and businesses — such as pools and swim schools were forced to shut down to prevent the spread of the virus, many people weren’t able to take swimming lessons or get the instruction that might have.
Drinking and swimming
The highest drowning rates, the report found, were among children, aged 1-4, non-Hispanic American Indians and Alaska Natives, and non-Hispanic African Americans.
A 2023 survey, which was part of the study, found 55% of adult Americans have never taken a swimming lesson.
In addition to a lack of swimming skills, other research shows that another factor in drownings is alcohol, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
By one estimate, 31% of all drownings involve a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10% or higher, which is at or above the level in many states of intoxication. Alcohol impairs judgment, increases risk taking and affects physical abilities.
And men — in contrast to women — also have higher drowning rates.
"Be smart this summer — think before you drink," the institute warns. "Avoiding beverages containing alcohol while piloting a boat, driving a car, exploring the wilderness, and swimming or surfing can also help keep you and your loved ones safe."
Recent drownings
Swimming lessons and safety education in Michigan also is so important, public safety officials have said, because the state has so many bodies of water, including 11,000 inland lakes and more freshwater shoreline than any other state in the nation.
And just last month, Michigan safety officials issued water safety alerts, warning that there were a variety of what they called "hidden hazards" around Mackinac Island after a 22-year-old woman drowned in a paddleboard accident.
The joint statement from the Mackinac Island Recreation Department and Mackinac Marine Rescue reminded folks heading out on the water to use common sense and take precautions, such as using properly fitting life jackets, also known as personal flotation devices.
As for Tuesday's drowning — which the Oakland County Sheriff's Office called "another sad and tragic day on the waters" — few details were released about what happened or what caused it.
Undersheriff Curtis Childs said the search and rescue team was dispatched to the lake at about 1:40 p.m. The man suddenly went underwater and didn’t come pack up. Sheriff’s Office divers found the young man, whose name was not released by the sheriff’s office about 20 minutes later.
He was in about 20 feet of water, 100 feet or so from shore.
Paramedics, Childs added, attempted life-saving measures at the lake, but were unable to revive the man. In another attempt to save him, the man was taken to a nearby hospital. But, there, the medical efforts also were unsuccessful.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
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