beefcake
05-30-2010, 10:46 PM
Just found out that Mike from Modular Performance died in a boating accident last night...
CROCKERY TOWNSHIP -- When Julie Lanka heard a crash Saturday night down the river behind her house on Garfield Avenue, she and her family sprang into action.
She called 911, and they made their way through the reeds and bushes to the spot on the Grand River shore near Bruce's Bayou.
What they found could only be described as "horrific."
A boat had crashed against a pile of rocks extending from shore. They found two injured children -- shivering in their wet life vests after being thrown ashore -- two injured women, and the driver pinned inside the boat.
The driver, John Michael Tymensky, a 41-year-old Allendale resident, died on scene after the 10:30 p.m. crash.
Authorities said all four passengers were ejected from the boat.
Adam Bird | The Grand Rapids PressCrash scene: A speedboat carrying five people struck these rocks along the shore of of the Grand River in Crockery Township, killing one man and critically injuring two other people. Tymensky's wife, 44-year-old Denise Noreen Tymensky, was in critical condition Sunday evening with life-threatening injuries while Wyoming resident Amanda Rae Cornell, 30, suffering from a broken neck and extremity fractures, improved to fair condition.
Lanka said Cornell was talking and "lucid" in the aftermath, and sat on the bow to check her children, Magenta Cornell, 12, and Xavier Cornell, 9. The two children had minor injuries.
Lanka and her family brought blankets for the victims, and she held the hands of the children, comforting them and trying to keep their minds off the accident with light conversation.
"I really hope the survivors are on the mend and doing well, and are able to thrive soon again," Lanka said.
John Cornell said his wife, Amanda, and his two children were invited to go on the boating outing with the Tymenski couple. They were on their way back from Lake Michigan when the boat hit the rocks.
He said his children were sleeping on the boat, then found themselves tossed out. His wife has not yet spoken about the crash.
"At this point, I'm thankful my family is alive," he said.
Amanda Cornell is expected to make a full recovery, he said, "but it's going to be a long process."
The investigation into the crash is ongoing, but authorities believe Tymensky was driving the 1978 Checkmate Outboard Fiberglass Speedboat at a high speed without the lights.
Michelle Giddings, whose house at 14610 144th Ave. is farther down the river from Lanka's, saw a boat "whiz" by at 10:27 p.m. while on her backyard deck. The area behind her house is a "no wake zone," she said.
Her three children and several of their friends were having a bonfire in the backyard when her son, Gabe, saw a boat speed by with no lights.
Boat traffic behind their house has increased this year, and many drivers "fly through the area," Michelle Giddings said. She said the "no wake zone" is not properly marked.
"(Boaters) need to know the waterway before they embark on it," Giddings said.
Although Lanka believes the crash site is not designated a "no wake zone," it's a "tricky place" to navigate. She hopes some good comes from the ordeal through increased awareness of boater safety.
Tave Hass, a neighbor of the Tymensky's in Allendale, was surprised to hear the allegations that John Tymensky, known as "Mike," was driving the boat at high speeds because "that doesn't sound like him."
"He was careful with the kids," Hass said. "He was not reckless."
Neighbors described Tymensky, who Hass said worked for a supplier of General Motors, as an avid boater, a good car mechanic who once raced stockcars, and a "nice guy" who frequently helped around the cul-de-sac.
Hass' wife struck a strong friendship with Denise Tymensky, and the two walk their dogs together constantly. He said they are taking care of the Tymensky's dog for the time being.
The Tymensky's two children were with grandparents on a camping trip at the time of the accident, said neighbor Harold Veldman.
Veldman said Mike Tymensky was working on his boat Saturday morning, and Tymensky said he was looking forward to getting out on the water that evening. Veldman still can't believe that several hours later, Tymensky was gone.
CROCKERY TOWNSHIP -- When Julie Lanka heard a crash Saturday night down the river behind her house on Garfield Avenue, she and her family sprang into action.
She called 911, and they made their way through the reeds and bushes to the spot on the Grand River shore near Bruce's Bayou.
What they found could only be described as "horrific."
A boat had crashed against a pile of rocks extending from shore. They found two injured children -- shivering in their wet life vests after being thrown ashore -- two injured women, and the driver pinned inside the boat.
The driver, John Michael Tymensky, a 41-year-old Allendale resident, died on scene after the 10:30 p.m. crash.
Authorities said all four passengers were ejected from the boat.
Adam Bird | The Grand Rapids PressCrash scene: A speedboat carrying five people struck these rocks along the shore of of the Grand River in Crockery Township, killing one man and critically injuring two other people. Tymensky's wife, 44-year-old Denise Noreen Tymensky, was in critical condition Sunday evening with life-threatening injuries while Wyoming resident Amanda Rae Cornell, 30, suffering from a broken neck and extremity fractures, improved to fair condition.
Lanka said Cornell was talking and "lucid" in the aftermath, and sat on the bow to check her children, Magenta Cornell, 12, and Xavier Cornell, 9. The two children had minor injuries.
Lanka and her family brought blankets for the victims, and she held the hands of the children, comforting them and trying to keep their minds off the accident with light conversation.
"I really hope the survivors are on the mend and doing well, and are able to thrive soon again," Lanka said.
John Cornell said his wife, Amanda, and his two children were invited to go on the boating outing with the Tymenski couple. They were on their way back from Lake Michigan when the boat hit the rocks.
He said his children were sleeping on the boat, then found themselves tossed out. His wife has not yet spoken about the crash.
"At this point, I'm thankful my family is alive," he said.
Amanda Cornell is expected to make a full recovery, he said, "but it's going to be a long process."
The investigation into the crash is ongoing, but authorities believe Tymensky was driving the 1978 Checkmate Outboard Fiberglass Speedboat at a high speed without the lights.
Michelle Giddings, whose house at 14610 144th Ave. is farther down the river from Lanka's, saw a boat "whiz" by at 10:27 p.m. while on her backyard deck. The area behind her house is a "no wake zone," she said.
Her three children and several of their friends were having a bonfire in the backyard when her son, Gabe, saw a boat speed by with no lights.
Boat traffic behind their house has increased this year, and many drivers "fly through the area," Michelle Giddings said. She said the "no wake zone" is not properly marked.
"(Boaters) need to know the waterway before they embark on it," Giddings said.
Although Lanka believes the crash site is not designated a "no wake zone," it's a "tricky place" to navigate. She hopes some good comes from the ordeal through increased awareness of boater safety.
Tave Hass, a neighbor of the Tymensky's in Allendale, was surprised to hear the allegations that John Tymensky, known as "Mike," was driving the boat at high speeds because "that doesn't sound like him."
"He was careful with the kids," Hass said. "He was not reckless."
Neighbors described Tymensky, who Hass said worked for a supplier of General Motors, as an avid boater, a good car mechanic who once raced stockcars, and a "nice guy" who frequently helped around the cul-de-sac.
Hass' wife struck a strong friendship with Denise Tymensky, and the two walk their dogs together constantly. He said they are taking care of the Tymensky's dog for the time being.
The Tymensky's two children were with grandparents on a camping trip at the time of the accident, said neighbor Harold Veldman.
Veldman said Mike Tymensky was working on his boat Saturday morning, and Tymensky said he was looking forward to getting out on the water that evening. Veldman still can't believe that several hours later, Tymensky was gone.