East Fork firefighters at the scene of a drowning near the outlet to Topaz Lake on Saturday afternoon.
East Fork Fire Protection District photo
A Dayton man has been identified as the deceased at Topaz Lake on Saturday.
Andrew Mitchel Liljenquist fell into the Walker River just below the outlet of Topaz Lake.
Sheriff Dan Coverley said it appeared that Liljenquist was trying to make his way down the “very steep embankment to the river to fish.”
“As a result of the fall, he suffered a head injury, ended up in the river, but was unable to get up and drowned,” Coverley said. “We believe alcohol was a contributing factor of the fall.”
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office patrol boat Marine 8 and East Fork firefighters responded to the scene near the lake’s outlet at around 1:30 p.m.
Care Flight helicopter also responded.
Last summer saw two drownings at Topaz Lake, one on May 19 and another on July 21, both of which involved boaters.