Beloit man dies after snowmobile plunges into Lake Koshkonong
TOWN OF MILTON—A Beloit man is dead after his snowmobile went into open water early Sunday on Lake Koshkonong.
According to a news release from the Rock County Sheriff’s Department, officers in an airboat found Willie A. Guzman, 47, of Beloit, in the water and unresponsive about 400 yards offshore at Lakeview Drive in the town of Milton.
The sheriff’s office said Guzman’s snowmobile had apparently plunged into open water in an area on the lake’s south end where it narrows and flows into the Rock River.
Emergency crews found Guzman at about 3:40 a.m. Sunday morning, over two hours after his snowmobile went in the water, according to reports. He was taken to Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center, where he was later pronounced dead, according to reports.
Lakeshore residents apparently had reported the accident shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday, after they heard someone yelling for help.
Guzman’s riding partner, Lewis Masterson, 46, of Beloit, whose snowmobile also had plunged into the lake, later came into the Countryside Inn, which is along Highway 59 south of the lake.
Masterson told authorities that he and Guzman were riding across the lake on their snowmobiles when they got disoriented because of the dark and a fog that had fallen over the lake.
Masterson said he’d plunged into the water but was able to walk to shore. He said he couldn’t find Guzman. It's not clear whether Masterson was injured in the accident.
Authorities don’t believe alcohol played a role in the accident.
