It was almost two years ago that a Metro Detroit couple drowned in Lake Michigan in South Haven. Now, the couple’s parents are doing what they can to help prevent more drownings.
Stephen Ernster is the father of 22-year-old Kory Ernster, who drowned while swimming in Lake Michigan off South Haven on August 8, 2022. His girlfriend, 19-year-old Emily MacDonald, also drowned.
Steven, his wife, and Lisa MacDonald, Emily’s mother, are using their life insurance money to purchase remote controlled robots that can help save struggling swimmers. They’ve donated the bots to the city of New Buffalo and to Silver Beach County Park.
Stephen says the robots can make a difference.
“They can go quite rapidly across the water and they have lanyards on them,” Ernster said. “So they have lanyards integrated into them to where they can get to a potential drowning in a much shorter manner than someone trying to swim out there.”
Ernster says the donations will be made to the communities in June. The Berrien County Parks Department will begin training lifeguards in the robot’s use the same month with representatives of its manufacturer.
EMILY, as the robot is called, is like a large remote controlled boat that can reach a struggling swimmer quickly so they have something to hang on to while lifeguards reach them.
