Post-Tribune |

Deckhand falls into Lake Michigan and drowns at Port of Indiana

Indiana Conservation Officers and the Porter County Coroner’s Office are investigating the death of a deckhand who drowned Monday after falling into Lake Michigan at the Port of Indiana.

Authorities said Sara Murawski, 30, of Kinde, Michigan, was pronounced dead at Porter Regional Hospital.

Around 3:45 p.m. Monday, witnesses reported seeing Murawski fall into Lake Michigan at the port in Burns Harbor at the ArcelorMittal Steel J Dock, where the commercial vessel on which she served was docked, according to a release from Indiana Conservation Officer Tyler Brock, with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement.

Murawski had just completed a work trip of several weeks. She was onshore retrieving her belongings when she fell in the water between the J Dock and the vessel. A witness entered the water in an attempt to rescue her but Murawski slipped below the surface before he could get to her, Brock said. She was not wearing a life jacket and did not immediately resurface.

About 45 minutes later, Porter Fire Department diver Lt. Evan Jamrok recovered Murawski in 32 feet of water, Brock said. She was immediately brought to the surface and pulled into a U.S. Coast Guard vessel. Rescuers initiated CPR and Murawski was brought to a waiting Burns Harbor Fire Department ambulance.

She was transported to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

The investigation is ongoing, according to Brock. Although an official cause of death has not been determined, the incident is believed to be an accidental drowning. Foul play is not suspected and Murawski’s family has been notified.

Other assisting agencies include the Burns Harbor and Ogden Dunes police departments; the Portage Fire Department; ArcelorMittal Fire/Security; Porter County Central Dispatch Center; and Indiana Conservation Officers Central Dispatch Center.