A 6-year-old Rochester Hills boy died Saturday night as a result of a boating-related accident on Squaw Lake in western Oxford Township.
According to Deputy John Graham, of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Marine Division, Tyler Lee Jones fell off a pontoon boat driven by his grandfather around 9:15 p.m.
Graham said Jones stepped outside the safety gate in the front of the boat to pick up a paddle, when he somehow fell in. The grandfather, who lives on Harwood Drive, immediately shut off the motor.
However, the pontoon boat kept moving and passed directly over the child.
The pontoon “kept the child in line with the propeller,” which entangled with the boy’s lifejacket, “tightening” it around his body and trapping him, Graham said. Jones was not cut by the propeller.
The grandfather dove in the water, freed his grandson from the propeller and got him to shore, where the child was reportedly still able to talk, the deputy said.
Paramedics transported the child to POH Medical Center in Pontiac, where despite emergency room doctors best efforts, he passed away, Graham said. The deputy said the boy died from internal injuries.
The accident is under investigation by the sheriff’s department. “The grandfather did everything he could do,” Graham said.
Editor’s Note: The Oxford Leader wishes to extend its deepest sympathy and prayers to the family of Tyler Lee Jones.