KEEGO HARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A recent drowning in Oakland County has officials urging residents to take water safety precautions as summer temperatures rise.
A 26-year-old Detroit man drowned in Cass Lake on Sunday, adding to a growing list of water-related tragedies in the region.
Watch the video report below:
Jaylen Bernard Tariq Brickerson, who was the oldest of five siblings, drowned after leaving a boat in Keego Harbor. According to officials, he was not a strong swimmer and mistakenly thought he was near a sandbar when he was actually in 55 feet of water.
"He thought it was shallow. He knew he wasn't a strong swimmer or others knew he wasn't a strong swimmer, thought they were near a sandbar, they were nowhere near a sandbar. In fact, they were at 55 feet of depth of water," Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.
This incident follows the drowning of a 2-year-old boy in the Clinton River in Harrison Township and another 2-year-old who drowned in a pool at a Southgate apartment complex over the weekend.
Last year, Oakland County recorded 17 drownings, with 13 occurring on waterways. Bouchard identified common factors in these incidents.
Watch our full interview with Sheriff Mike Bouchard in the video player below:
"Common theme is either they've been involved in some kind of drinking or they're not a strong swimmer or someone is not paying attention and causes some kind of issues," Bouchard said.
The sheriff emphasized that drownings can happen in both deep and shallow water, and proper safety measures are essential.
"Regardless of if you're a strong swimmer or not, have emergency equipment at hand. If you're not a strong swimmer wear a flotation device," he said.
Regular visitors to Cass Lake, one of Oakland County's busiest lakes, understand the importance of water safety.
"Coming from other lakes, no every one's the same and there's sandbars sometimes in the middle," said Shannon Verstraete, a lake visitor familiar with water safety.
Kevin and Angela, who have been visiting Cass Lake for more than 25 years, offered simple but crucial advice: "stay within your means of what you're capable of swimming."
They also advised boaters to stay to the right and swimmers to stay inside buoys.
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