Divers searched American Lake in Lakewood on Tuesday for a 63-year-old man presumed to have drowned.
Crews responded just before 1 p.m. to a report that a man was screaming for help in a sinking boat on the lake, West Pierce Fire & Rescue spokeswoman Jenny Weekes said.
They learned that two brothers, ages 63 and 65, were on a test run with the boat, presumably because it had recently been repaired, Weekes said. When the boat started smoking and taking on water about 200 yards from shore, the 63-year-old tried to swim for help with a flotation cushion.
He swam about 75 yards before the cushion slipped out of his hands and he went under the water.
Another boater rescued the 65-year-old man, Weekes said.
Rescue swimmers and divers searched the water for 45 minutes looking for the victim, before the efforts switched to a recovery operation.
The brothers had flotation cushions on the boat, but no life vests, Weekes said.
The identity of the missing brother had not been released Tuesday night.
Alexis Krell: 253-597-8268 alexis.krell@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
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