Body of 80-year-old man found in Harrison Township canal
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - A tragic discovery was made in Harrison Township on Friday when witnesses spotted a man floating face down in a canal.
Rescue officials who eventually recovered his body before immediately beginning life-saving efforts estimate he may have been in the water a half an hour before he was found.
He was declared dead at the hospital soon after.
The canal where the 80-year-old man was found is off of Bayhaven Drive near North River Road in Harrison Township.
His body was found 20 feet from the shore of his house, deputies with the Macomb County Sheriff's Office said.
It's a sad update for the community and another grim reminder of water safety in and around canals, rivers, and lakes in Michigan. In nearby Oakland County, several people have drowned this year in a trend the sheriff has struggled to explain.
It's possible the age of Friday's victim played a role in the death, said Chris Landsit, who is a part of the tight-knit community.
"The thing is, when you approach a certain age, your stability gets compromised, so you have to be so careful in and around these docks," he said. "I know myself and I'm going to be 80 on my next birthday."
The cause is unknown and is under investigation.
Oakland County's high number of drownings this year flummoxing officials
Ironically, drowning numbers are down in the Great Lakes this year - even as the number of incidents in Oakland County have climbed.