Boating accident kills 1

A boating accident on Lake Sonoma on Sunday afternoon left one man dead, the Sonoma County Sheriff?s Department said.

The department?s helicopter was called to the lake at about 3:44 p.m. for a rescue but the call turned into an effort to recover the body, Sheriff?s Lt. Greg Contos said.

The victim apparently was trapped underneath a boat, he said.

The helicopter landed on an area known as Rattlesnake Island, Contos said.

Sgt. Eric Thomson, who arrived on the helicopter, swam under the boat to cut the body free.

Details of the accident weren?t immediately available.

Janet Folk, general manager of the Lake Sonoma Resort marina, said the accident apparently happened near the Madrone Point campground in a ski zone.

Bob Stender of Santa Rosa and his family went to the lake to celebrate an early Mother?s Day.

"It was a perfect day. It wasn?t so hot it was painful but hot enough to be really pleasant," Stender said.

"We were cruising back toward the marina and saw a contingent of boats and sheriff?s boat, a lot of boats milling around," he said.

The sheriff?s boats were tied to a ski boat, Stender said.

Realizing something was wrong, they stopped to offer help from Stender?s daughter, who is a cardiac nurse, he said.

There was a group of young people on the boat in question and some on the boat indicated to him it was too late for help, Stender said.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or

randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.