Michigan man, 81, dies after iceboat crashes while sailing

WHITE LAKE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — An 81-year-old suburban Detroit man died after his iceboat crashed Sunday as he was sailing on frozen Pontiac Lake, authorities said.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said it appears Dan Campbell may have hit his head with enough force to kill him, despite wearing a protective helmet and face shield. The Independence Township man was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Campbell was moving fast across the ice in his 27-foot one-person craft when it crashed just before noon Sunday on the easternmost part of the lake in White Lake Township, police said.

The incident remains under investigation and a medical examination was scheduled to be performed Monday to determine exactly how Campbell died, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Iceboats, sometimes called ice yachts, are long, thin recreational or competitive sailing crafts that glide along frozen lakes on metal runners similar to ice skate blades. They are powered with a sail and can be steered as they race on the ice at speeds of 60 mph or greater.