Boat Hits, Kills 11-Year-Old Girl In Michigan Who Fell Off Tube

HILLSDALE, MI — State conservation officers are investigating the death of an 11-year-old girl, who was struck and killed by a boat in rural Michigan after she fell off an inflatable tube.

Around 3 p.m. Wednesday, a 25-year-old lifeguard from the Michindoh Conference Center was driving a motorboat that was pulling 12 children on a banana boat, or an inflatable tube. Both the boat and tube belong to the conference center, which is also a Christian camp located along the east side of Lake Michindoh in Hillsdale.

Three children fell off the banana boat into the water, the state Department of Natural Resources said. The operator returned to pick up the children and hit a fourth child, the 11-year-old girl, who wasn't previously seen in the water, officials said. The operator of the boat immediately jumped into the water to help the girl.

A woman at the conference center called 911 and asked for an ambulance. A second person called 911 with more details.

The child was immediately taken to the dock at the conference center and was treated by emergency responders for life-threatening injuries. Medis rushed her by ambulance to Hillsdale County Hospital, where she died of her injuries, officials said.

Names of those involved will not be released until the investigation is concluded.

A 29-year-old woman who was also on the boat at the time was watching the children as a spotter, state officials said. All children were wearing life jackets and helmets at the time.

Alcohol and drugs were not believed to be a factor, and weather conditions were favorable for boating. The boat was the only vessel on the lake at the time.

The boat driver has a Michigan boater safety certificate. The driver is cooperating with the investigation, Lt. Andrew Turner of the state Department of Natural Resources told Patch on Friday.

Authorities believe the girl she was among the children who were on the tube and that they were part of the Christian camp.

There's no timeline for the investigation, in which investigators will meet with prosecutors. Turner said he expects the investigation to conclude in about a week.

Hillsdale is located about 85 miles west of Detroit. The city has about 8,000 residents.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 658 people died in recreational boating accidents last year, down from 767 in 2020.

In Michigan, 21 people died in boating accidents last year, down from 31 in 2020.