swimmer – BIG

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has charged a Huntsville man after striking and killing a swimmer with his boat in Lake Rosseau last July.

Around 7 a.m. on the morning of July 25, the OPP’s Bracebridge detachment, Muskoka EMS, and the Muskoka Lakes Fire Department responded to multiple 911 calls reporting an unresponsive man floating in the water near Shamrock Lodge Road in Port Carling, approximately 20 metres out from a dock.

EMS managed to lift the man onto a floating dock and administered life-saving measures. After no response, he was taken by ambulance to South Muskoka Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The 48-year-old man had been staying at nearby Shamrock Lodge and had headed out for an early morning swim equipped with a visibility marker. Zavier Foyston, who was out driving his boat, collided with the man. Foyston stayed on scene, cooperating with OPP.

After a thorough investigation, the OPP announced on Wednesday that it was charging the 26-year-old Foyston with operating a vessel in a careless manner. Foyston will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge on February 7.

OPP Const. Samantha Bigley said she was unaware of any civil action being brought against Foyston by the victim’s family.

A 48-year-old man is dead after being struck by a boat while out swimming in Lake Rosseau in Muskoka early Monday morning.

Ontario Provincial Police’s Bracebridge detachment, Muskoka EMS, and the Muskoka Lakes Fire Department responded to multiple 911 calls around 7 a.m. reporting an unresponsive body in the water near Shamrock Lodge Road in Port Carling, approximately 20 metres out from a dock.

Muskoka Lakes fire chief Ryan Murrell says that when he arrived on scene EMS had managed to lift the man onto a floating dock and were performing CPR. “They shocked the patient once, so that would tell me that there was a [heartbeat] rhythm,” he says.

After no response, members of the fire department assisted EMS with transferring the man from the floating dock to an ambulance. From there he was taken to the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The man, who was staying as a guest at the Shamrock Lodge, had been out for a morning swim and was equipped with a visibility marker when he was struck by a boat. The boater remained on scene and is cooperating with the OPP. Const. Taryn Molnar of the Bracebridge OPP says it is an ongoing investigation, meaning no charges have been laid at this time.

Currently, the OPP isn’t releasing any more details about the investigation out of respect for the man’s family. The police have, however, asked that anyone with surveillance footage from their residence or information about the collision contact Bracebridge OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

When operating a boat early in the morning at low visibility hours, Van Isle Marina suggests going slow enough that you can stop in half the distance that you can clearly see, turning on your running lights, and assigning a lookout to sit in the bow of the boat and watch for anything in the water and drive well away from the shoreline, especially if moving at a higher speed.