Grosse Ile − A Brownstown Township resident was killed and a Rockwood resident was injured when the 37-foot boat they were in hit shoals near Celeron Island in the Detroit River early Sunday.
The grounding occurred about 2:52 a.m. when the 37-foot Rinker in which they were the only occupants struck the man-made habitat shoals southeast of the island. The boat had left its home marina, Humbug Marina in Gibraltar, about 2:30 a.m.
The boat was about 80% out of water when emergency personnel reached the scene, according to a statement from the Grosse Ile Police Department, which is investigating the accident.
The Rockwood resident was the boat’s owner and was transported to a local hospital. Police have not released name of the deceased or the boat’s owner pending the notification of family. They have not yet determined who was driving when the vessel hit the shoals, the statement said.
It’s at least the second death in a month near Celeron Island, a 68-acre publicly owned island at the mouth of the Detroit River.
The Celeron Island habitat shoals were constructed in the past decade to help protect the shoreline and young plant and aquatic habitat on the southern periphery of Celeron, which suffered erosion from Lake Erie’s waves during high water, waves and seiche activity.
The island is owned by the state of Michigan and managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit River boat crash leaves Brownstown Twp. resident dead, one injured
Reporting by Gary Miles, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gary Miles, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
