APPLE VALLEY, Minnesota – A tragedy on a lake in the south metro has a family and community in mourning.
Joe Anderson was a Bethel University student who died last week while working his summer job at Lac Lavon in Apple Valley.
Anderson’s family says he was clearing weeds and debris in the lake on one of his first dives when he failed to surface.
They say co-workers found him after a few minutes and first responders took him to the hospital.
“There were a lot of police cars and ambulances and they were just driving really fast,” said a neighbor named Carrie. “Just a lot of chaos.”
Sadly, Anderson died a few days later.
His family says his diving equipment worked, but he was found in the lake with his gas mask off.
Anderson’s sister wrote in an online post, “We hoped and prayed with all our might for a miracle to the end,” and said before he died, “We all remembered together our favorite memories, Joe’s many wonderful character traits, and the ways in which Joe inspired us all and called us to greatness.”
“It’s just a sad story about someone losing their life on the lake,” said Robin Johnson, who has been going to Lac Lavon for more than 25 years.
Minnesota OSHA says it is investigating what happened.
In 2022, a worker clearing weeds in Lake Minnetonka drowned. It resulted in six OSHA violations for that company and more than $100,000 in fines.
Hearing of Anderson’s death has prompted parents like Johnson to place more emphasis on water safety for their own children.
“Teach the kids to swim,” Johnson said. ‘Teach the children how to be safe, and [it’s] just as important in adults. They also need to be safe and aware of what is happening around them.”
David Schuman
