An 18-year-old was killed in a tragic boating accident on a Wisconsin lake after authorities said he drowned following “blunt force injuries” caused by a boat propeller.
Aiden Radosevich, of Pewaukee, went missing Sunday evening after he fell overboard during an outing on Okauchee Lake, a 1,210-acre body of water about 30 miles west of Milwaukee, according to Village of Lac La Belle Police Chief Kristen Wraalstad. His disappearance triggered a large emergency search across the lake.
After nearly 13 hours of searching, crews recovered Radosevich’s body from the lake bottom, roughly 90 feet beneath the surface.
Authorities determined his death was accidental, saying he had fallen from a wake surf boat.
The Waukesha County Medical Examiner found that Radosevich died by drowning and had suffered blunt and sharp force injuries from the vessel’s propeller, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Speaking with the outlet on Monday, Radosevich’s father, Shane Radosevich, remembered his son as “someone that everyone would enjoy.”
Radosevich had recently graduated from high school and was looking ahead to college, with plans to study finance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“It’s just heartbreaking that he doesn’t get to finish what he started,” his father told the outlet.
Aiden Radosevich, 18, of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, was killed in a freak boating accident after suffering ‘blunt force injuries’ from a boat’s propeller and drowning
The teenager disappeared Sunday evening after falling overboard during a sailing trip on the 1,210-acre Okauchee Lake
Nearly 13 hours after launching a search, Radosevich’s body was found at the bottom of the lake, about 90 feet below the surface
In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday, the teen’s father, Shane Radosevich, described his son as ‘someone that everyone would enjoy’
The recent high school graduate was preparing for the next chapter of his life, with plans to study finance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
The tragedy unfolded just after 10.40pm Sunday, when police and the Western Lakes Fire District rushed to Okauchee Lake after receiving reports that a boater had fallen overboard, according to the department’s press release shared Monday.
Over the next several hours, emergency crews from Lac La Belle Police, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Western Lakes Fire and Lake Country Fire scoured the dark lake waters in search of the missing teen.
Search efforts were paused at 1am early Monday morning before resuming at 6.30am as daylight broke.
At around 11.30am, Wisconsin DNR wardens located Radosevich’s body in the depths of the lake, with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team assisting in the recovery, according to authorities.
Police said the search involved assistance from several agencies, including the DNR, Western Lakes Fire, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office, Lake Country Fire, Village of Oconomowoc Lake Police, Village of Chenequa Police and Waukesha County Communications.
‘Our sincere condolences go out to the victim’s family and everyone involved in this tragedy,’ Chief Wraalstad wrote in a statement.
