Peterborough County OPP – Drowning in Kawartha Highlands Signature Park
Officers from the Peterborough County detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) along with EMS and Fire responded to a possible drowning at Kawartha Highlands Signature Park.
On Friday August 2, 2024, just prior to 2:00pm, Peterborough County Officers were dispatched to assist EMS at the Kawartha Highlands Signature Park. Information provided indicated that two friends were drifting in the river on tubes and one person had gone missing from their tube.
Officers arrived on scene along with Fire and EMS and spoke with witnesses. Witnesses advised that two in dividuals were drifting down the river on tubes. The first person got off their tube in roughly chest high water and was not wearing a life jacket. The second person got off their tube closer to shore and looked back to see the first person gone. The second party was able to locate the others tube but not the person. They attempted to search for the person but were not able to locate them.
Park Wardens were notified and a short while, the first person was located face down in the water.
An 81-year-old male from Whitby was pronounced deceased at the location.
The OPP is committed to boater education, marine patrol/law enforcement and saving lives on more than 110,000 square kilometers of Ontario waterways. With capsized vessels and falling overboard the top contributing factors in boating deaths every year, a significant number of lives stand to be saved if boaters, personal watercraft users and paddlers wore a lifejacket or personal floatation device ( PFD).
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love