Rescue crews pull body from Yough Lake
ADDISON TWP. – Emergency personnel Wednesday morning recovered the body of a Perryopolis man who fell into the Youghiogheny Lake in Somerset County on Monday afternoon. After dive teams and recovery crews searched the lake for nearly two days, a dive team found the body of 47-year-old Richard Makovich of 302 Constitution St., about one-half mile from the Yough Bridge around 9 a.m.
An official cause of death has not been determined.
The Somerset County Coroner’s office said an autopsy is planned for Makovich.
Dan McGuire, an officer with the state Fish and Boat Commission, said Makovich and his mother, Constance Makovich, 69, were boating on the lake when their 15-foot aluminum boat was caught in the wake of a passing boat. The wake apparently caused Richard Makovich to fall out, officials said.
McGuire said that Constance Makovich threw a life vest to her son but he was unable to grasp it.
McGuire said that the boat also started to spin in circles after being caught in the passing boat’s wake.
Officials speculated that the boat might have struck Richard Makovich, who was able to swim, while it was spinning causing him to lose consciousness.
When he didn’t resurface, his mother flagged down a nearby boater who took her to shore where she called 911.
According to McGuire, crews started searching the lake that spans more than 3,900 acres Monday afternoon.
Addison and Confluence volunteer fire departments, along with dive teams from Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties conducted the search for Richard Makovich. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state police in Somerset as well as troopers from the Uniontown barracks provided additional assistance.