Overview
- First responders answered a call that was logged as a possible water rescue and found a man pinned under a boat at CenterPointe Marine; the victim was pronounced dead at the scene on May 28.
- Family members and local reports have identified the victim as 24-year-old Cody Stelzel of Menomonee Falls while the medical examiner has confirmed the victim was male but has not released a formal public identification.
- Relatives and a co-worker told reporters that the boat shifted while being moved on a forklift, the worker fell or fell off, and the boat then came down on top of him, though investigators have not yet confirmed that sequence.
- Milwaukee police detectives, the county medical examiner and forensics teams processed the scene for hours and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation that could take up to six months to produce a report.
- Stelzel’s family is calling for a full inquiry into workplace safety and the community is awaiting official findings that could prompt changes to how large boats are handled at marinas and dealerships.