Hunter dies following river emergency.

Hunter dies following river emergency.

#ScottvilleNews

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

UPDATE: Names released: Steven John Borkowski, 48, of Comstock Park has been identified as the victim who passed away. He was with his father, John Raymond Borkowski, 76, of Grand Rapids, and Marc Borkowski, 45, also of Grand Rapids.

SCOTTVILLE — A 48-year-old Grand Rapids man died this morning following a water emergency in the Pere Marquette River. Emergency personnel were dispatched to Riverside Park at 7:35 a.m., Friday, Nov. 15, for a report of three men in a canoe that had capsized. The men were about 1/2 mile downriver from the park, in an area west of the Scottville landfill property.

According to Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole, the three men were of one family, a 76-year-old father and his two sons, ages 45 and 48. The men were in the area deer hunting and had launched in a canoe from Riverside Park. At some point, their canoe tipped over. Two of the men were able to get out of the water but the third started floating downstream. Eventually the other two were able to retrieve their companion and started CPR on him.

Boats were called in from Custer Fire Department and Hamlin Fire Department, along with a personal boat as well. Hamlin Fire Department’s 17-feet-long Boston Whaler was ultimately used to retrieve the victims who were each transported by ambulance to Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital. The 48-year-old man was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Agencies assisting at the scene included Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Scottville Police Department, Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Scottville Fire Department, Custer Fire Department, Hamlin Fire Department, Life EMS, and Scottville Department of Public Works.

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