Racine man drowned rescuing females who fell from tube on Indiana lake

BIRDSEYE, Ind. - A Racine man, 33, drowned while rescuing females who fell from a tube attached to a rental boat on Patoka Lake in Indiana on Sunday evening, Sept. 6.

Officials with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said in a news release the body of Travis Ray St. Martin was recovered around 7:30 p.m.

On Sunday afternoon, around 3 p.m., witnesses flagged down a conservation officer regarding a possible drowning. Multiple 911 calls came in shortly after, reporting that a man had disappeared in the water.

An investigation revealed the two females had struggled to stay afloat after falling from the tube attached to the rental boat by rope. Multiple people from the rental boat jumped into assist, one of them St. Martin. One of the females was rescued.

The other female, a 25-year-old Virginia woman, was rescued by a group of people from a separate boat and airlifted to the hospital, where she was treated and released.

The Crawford County coroner’s office ruled the preliminary cause of death for St. Martin as accidental drowning. No alcohol or drugs were suspected to be contributing factors.

DNR officials noted although adequate life jackets were present on the rental boat, none were in use, and strongly encouraged others to wear them on or around bodies of water.