21-year-old man drowns while swimming in Oakland County lake

INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 21-year-old Highland Township man drowned Tuesday, July 16, while swimming in Townsend Lake in Independence Township.

According to authorities, he was swimming with a friend when he unexpectedly went underwater and did not surface. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team was sent out just after 1:30 p.m. Divers reportedly found the man about 100 feet from short in about 20 feet of water at about 2 p.m. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, drowning is the cause of 75% of all boating-related deaths. Several boating safety tips can be found on the DNR website here.