Killed Saturday afternoon at Lake Wazee near Black River Falls were James M. Jordan, 57, of Eagan, and Milton R. Floyd, 60, of Minneapolis, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
A third man in the party, Milo Squires, 53, of Chaska, was treated at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) in Minneapolis and released, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Autopsy results on Jordan and Floyd are pending.
A paid obituary in Monday’s Star Tribune described Jordan as an avid scuba diver, biker and a soccer referee. Survivors include a wife, daughter, mother and 11 siblings.
Authorities in Jackson County said surfacing too quickly from the deepest inland lake in Wisconsin contributed to the deaths. Sgt. Mike Johnson said the men were experienced divers and were diving at 140 to 200 feet.
Johnson said the department will investigate reports the two men who died might have dived beyond their certification level.
That issue was raised Sunday by Keith Cormican, head of the sheriff’s dive team and the owner of a scuba shop, who told KSTP-TV that he knew the men and that they had told him they were certified to 150 feet, but that two planned to go to 200 feet.
When rescuers arrived, the three were taken to Black River Memorial Hospital, where Jordan was declared dead after a heart attack. The others were airlifted to HCMC for treatment in the hyperbaric chamber, which is used to increase oxygen levels. After more than four hours in the chamber, Floyd died Saturday night.
Johnson said that Squires was the diver closest to the surface when the emergency arose.
Lake Wazee is one of the premier deep-water diving spots in the Midwest because of its clarity and depth. Numerous signs there warn divers that the nearest hyperbaric chamber is three hours away in Minneapolis.
|