2 brothers drown in Lake Louise

LAKE LOUISE — Two brothers visiting Alaska drowned early Friday afternoon following a boating accident on Lake Louise, near Mile 159.8 of the Glenn Highway.

Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain said a report came in around 12:11 p.m., from Edwin Curtis, 56, of Cleveland Tenn., that brothers Steven Kirkpatrick, 59, and Jeffrey Kirkpatrick, 56, also of Cleveland Tenn., had fallen out of a boat the group had rented.

DeSpain said an AST investigation determined that four men had rented a 14-foot boat and were in the process of restarting its motor when one man fell overboard and his brother jumped in to try to rescue him.

Curtis and Rex Calfee, 51, of Charleston, Tenn., were able to get Steven Kirkpatrick to shore and began performing CPR within 15 minutes, according to a troopers press release.

“Jeffrey Kirkpatrick’s body was recovered from the bottom of Lake Louise after being submerged for approximately 45 minutes,” the press release said.

Lake Louise emergency crews responded to the scene and continued to perform CPR, DeSpain said. Steven Kirkpatrick and Jeffrey Kirkpatrick were pronounced dead at 1:57 p.m., troopers said.

DeSpain said the AST investigation determined that the men started the boat’s motor with it in gear, and when it started the boat lurched forward and Steven Kirkpatrick was thrown into Lake Louise. Troopers say his brother Jeffrey Kirkpatrick jumped overboard in an attempt to save his older brother.

DeSpain said people in a nearby boat witnessed the men in distress and also tried to render aid. He said when the men rented the boat they received instructions on how to operate it and were provided with personal floatation devices; however, DeSpain said neither man was wearing a life vest when he drowned.

He said state law requires every occupant in a boat have a life jacket.

“We just hope people choose to wear them,” he said. “And we urge people to wear them.”