Cook County Law Enforcement released new details this week on the tragic drowning of two men in Lake Superior near Tofte. There were questions surrounding how the two men, guests at Bluefin Bay Resort, ended up in the frigid waters of Lake Superior at 3:03 p.m. on Tuesday, December 23.
In a water accident report issued by the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office, the wife of the second drowning victim, Wayne Louis Hoffman, 66, of Spring Green, Wisconsin said she and her husband were walking in the Tofte Park when they saw Evan Alexander Johnson, 40, Menomonie, Wisconsin, leave the resort pool area in swimming trunks to go down by the rocks on Lake Superior. Janice Hoffman said they watched as a wave knocked him off the rocks into the lake.
Her husband went down to assist him back onto shore, saying to her, “Stay back and don’t try to help.”
According to the report, Hoffman was trying to get Johnson out of the water when a second wave pulled him, fully clothed in winter attire, into the water.
A Lutsen resident working at Bluefin Bay heard the cries for help. He told the News-Herald that when he got to the scene, Johnson was attempting to pull the older man ashore. The Lutsen man ran to his truck for rope and he and other people on shore worked frantically to get the short lengths of rope tied together and out to Johnson, who was then the only one responsive. Someone arrived with a flotation device from the pool area and that was thrown out to Johnson, but with the 4-6 foot waves it never got close to him.
The bystanders on the shore continued to try to get the rope to Johnson as he was pushed further and further down the shore.
Another witness, Evan Johnson’s brother, Michael Johnson was inside and heard a commotion. He looked out to see his brother in the water with a number of people trying to help. When Evan was pushed onto a rock ledge, Michael was able to grab him. Both of them were helped ashore by a group of rescuers at about 3:30 p.m.
Evan Johnson was transported by Cook County Ambulance to North Shore Hospital. Although rescuers had started CPR, Johnson was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Rescuers were unable to reach Hoffman and they watched in horror as the older man, apparently unconscious, drifted away. The Lutsen worker said when he got back to where he had first seen the men in the water, Hoffman was barely visible far off shore.
Hoffman’s body was eventually recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard at 10:03 p.m. about a half mile from where he had entered the water and approximately 400 yards off shore.
Although the Lutsen man said it was heart-wrenching to not be able to help the men, the people on the shore did a good job responding and keeping one another safe in the rescue attempt. He said they did what they could. “We didn’t need anyone else in the water,” he said.
Bluefin Bay Resort Owner/Manager Dennis Rysdahl echoed that thought and he commended all the Bluefin staffers and emergency responders who assisted. He said in the midst of the horrible event, he noticed how many volunteer rescue personnel there were. “We’re far from a big city, but we have an excellent emergency response system. It’s quite impressive the number of people who showed up and their capability.
“You don’t appreciate these services until you need them. I sure appreciate them now,” said Rysdahl.
Rysdahl said the families of the drowning victims had visited Bluefin for 10 – 15 years. “They were very accomplished men, wonderful people,” he said adding, “In my 31 years here, I haven’t had an event that has been so horrific. It is a very sad time for us.”
Leave a Reply