Highland Township man drowns after falling from dock while cleaning his boat

HIGHLAND TWP, Mich. – A 70-year-old Highland Township man died Tuesday evening after accidentally falling into the water while cleaning his boat on Duck Lake.

Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies say they were dispatched to the 3000 block of Ramada Drive around 8:47 p.m. upon receiving a report that a man had fallen into the water from his private dock and had not resurfaced. The man’s wife reportedly witnessed him fall in the water and immediately called for help.

The Highland Township Fire Department and members of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team also responded to the scene, where they found the victim — identified as Byron Felix Carter — submerged in the water between the dock and his boat.

First responders were able to pull Carter from the water and perform lifesaving measures, however he was later pronounced dead at Huron Valley Hospital.

An autopsy performed Wednesday by the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Carter’s cause of death to be an accidental drowning.