Man dies in boating accident off Erie Bluffs State Park

A fatal boating accident occurred in Lake Erie on the morning of June 30, a few miles off Erie Bluffs State Park, after a boat capsized and one person died. The victim, David Rodgers, 63, from Chicora in Butler County, was pronounced dead at UPMC Hamot at 10:30 a.m., according to Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook. Cook said Rodgers was fishing aboard a boat with four other men, and an initial call for assistance was made at 7:23 a.m. at the Erie County 911 Center. A U.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer said that after the first emergency call disconnected, 911 used a cell tower ping to locate the boat’s position. Responders found one passenger on top of the vessel while a private fisherman picked up three others. The Coast Guard said Rodgers tried to swim under the boat to retrieve life vests but became trapped; he was pulled out and CPR was performed before being transferred by ambulance.