3 People Found Dead Inside a Submerged Boat After Collision — One Passenger’s Desperate Swim to Shore Is Called a “Miracle”

A late-night boating accident on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair ended in tragedy, claiming three lives. But amid the heartbreaking discovery, one passenger’s extraordinary fight to reach shore has left authorities describing her survival as nothing short of a miracle.

The crash happened on Wednesday, October 7, near MacRay Harbor in Harrison Township, Michigan, when a boat collided with another vessel and overturned, according to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities received a report of the capsized boat at approximately 10:48 p.m. local time. Before rescuers could reach the scene, however, one passenger had already faced a terrifying challenge of her own.

A Desperate Swim in the Darkness

The 58-year-old woman managed to escape the overturned vessel and swim back to shore to seek help. The journey was believed to have taken between an hour and an hour and a half, according to reporting by the Detroit Free Press.

Despite the frightening ordeal, she survived. She was later transported to a hospital with injuries that authorities described as non-life-threatening.

Township Fire Chief David Bostater told the Detroit Free Press that her survival was remarkable, calling it a “miracle.”

Her actions helped bring attention to the emergency as the search for the remaining passengers unfolded.

Rescuers Make a Heartbreaking Discovery

The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office deployed its marine division and underwater search-and-rescue team to locate the missing boaters.

The search continued through the night. At approximately 5 a.m. on Thursday, October 8, divers recovered three people from the submerged vessel.

All three victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities identified them as Craig Miller, 52, of Macomb Township; Heidi Baldwin, 56, of St. Clair Shores; and Gerald Grzadzinski, 64, of Chesterfield Township.

The loss of three lives transformed what may have begun as an ordinary evening on the water into a devastating tragedy for their families and loved ones.

What Caused the Collision?

Investigators identified the overturned boat as a 1981, 23-foot Formula Thunderbird. The other vessel involved was a 1991, 28-foot Sea Ray Sundancer.

According to authorities, the operator of the second boat, a 40-year-old man from Roseville, is cooperating with investigators. Two adult women and a child were also aboard that vessel.

Officials are continuing to gather evidence and examine both boats to determine exactly what led to the collision and the fatal outcome.

For now, many questions remain unanswered, including the precise circumstances that caused the boats to collide and what happened during the moments before the vessel overturned.

The survivor’s determination to reach shore stands in stark contrast to the devastating loss suffered by the other passengers. While her escape offered a glimmer of hope amid the tragedy, the deaths of three people have left a community mourning as investigators work to establish the full story behind the accident.

Source: PEOPLE, “3 Found Dead in Submerged Boat After Crash as Fellow Passenger Made ‘Miracle’ Swim Back to Shore,” by David Chiu, published October 8, 2026.