Man Dies in Diamond Lake Boating Accident During Family Reunion
A 71-year-old Illinois man died after falling from a pontoon boat while spending the day on Diamond Lake with family.
DIAMOND LAKE, Ore. — A 71-year-old man died Saturday after falling from a pontoon boat at Diamond Lake, prompting a search that ended with sheriff’s office divers recovering his body.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to the lake at approximately 2:17 p.m. July 18 after receiving a report that a person had fallen overboard and disappeared beneath the water.
The man, identified as William Harry Bailey of Bethalto, Illinois, was visiting Diamond Lake with family members for a reunion. The family had rented a pontoon boat earlier in the day.
According to investigators, Bailey and his sister moved toward the bow of the boat to take a photograph. As they stood near the front, the bow dipped into the water and both lost their balance.
The sheriff’s office said Bailey pushed his sister away from the front of the moving boat, preventing her from falling into its path. Bailey instead fell into the water directly in front of the pontoon, which then passed over him.
Witnesses reported seeing Bailey briefly resurface before he disappeared beneath the water.
Diamond Lake in Douglas County, where emergency crews searched for a 71-year-old man after he fell from a pontoon boat Saturday afternoon. Divers later recovered his body. (Photo courtesy Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
Family members immediately began searching and called 911. Deputies, firefighters and other emergency responders searched near the location where Bailey was last seen but were initially unable to find him.
Divers with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office later located and recovered Bailey’s body from the lake.
The Douglas County Medical Examiner’s Office was notified.
Diamond Lake Resort, Central Douglas Fire & Rescue, Oregon State Police, Umpqua Valley Ambulance, REACH Air Medical Services and the Oregon State Marine Board assisted with the response.
Cover image: Boats sit along the docks at Diamond Lake Resort, where a family had rented a pontoon boat before a fatal boating accident Saturday, July 18. (Photo courtesy Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
