Grandfather drowns trying to save 3-year-old grandson who fell into Lake Huron while fishing

A family is grieving the loss of a loving grandfather who dove into the waters of Lake Huron to rescue his grandson, who fell into the water while on a fishing trip.

On Saturday afternoon, James G. David, 62, his two grandsons, 9 and 3, and their father, 32, ventured out to go fishing together on Saginaw Bay, the giant bay in Lake Huron created by the "thumb" of the lower peninsula of Michigan. But the day of fun turned tragic when the 3-year-old boy accidentally fell into the water.

According to Cole Waterman of MLive, the older boy called 911 and reported not only that his little brother had fallen in but that his father and grandfather had both dove into the water to try and save him. The 9-year-old was able to relay their location to authorities and then flag down another passing fishing boat to find help.

The men aboard the other boat, ages 37 and 76, were able to retrieve both the 3-year-old boy and his father from the water, but David had already fallen unconscious while still submerged. The two men were able to secure a rope around David to keep him from falling farther under water.

About that time, deputies and members of the U.S. Coast Guard arrived and were able to extract David from the water. They immediately began CPR and other rescue procedures. They raced him to nearby McLaren Bay Region Hospital, but unfortunately, medical teams were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead.

The father and young boy are both believed to be alive, though their conditions have not been reported.

Bay County Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham told reporters that the family was on a 17-foot fishing boat and that the 3-year-old boy had fallen into the water about 2.5 miles northeast of the Finn Road Boat Launch in Hampton Township, which is about a two-hour drive due north of Detroit.

Overall, Lake Huron has a maximum depth of 750 feet, though Saginaw Bay is one of the shallowest regions of the lake with an average depth of about 80 feet. The depth of the water where the boy fell in is not known.

Lake Superior is the deepest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 1,330 feet, followed by Lake Michigan, which has a maximum depth of 923 feet.