Three close friends have been killed in a horrific nighttime boat collision on a popular Michigan lake, leaving behind devastated families and a critically injured survivor who desperately clung to a floating cushion to help her swim to shore for help.
Craig Miller, 52, Heidi Baldwin, 56, and Gerald Grzadzinski, 64, died after their boat was struck by another vessel on Lake St. Clair last Wednesday night, October 7.
The collision occurred near MacRay Harbor, where the group’s black Formula Thunderbird was hit by a white Sea Ray Sundancer before sinking beneath the water.
All three victims were recovered by rescue crews at around 5am the following morning and pronounced dead at the scene.
Grzadzinski’s wife, Dawn, somehow survived the disaster, grabbing a cushion from the wreckage and embarking on a desperate swim toward shore.
She remains hospitalized as investigators attempt to piece together what caused the deadly crash.
Heartbroken friends have revealed the extraordinary bond shared by the three victims, who were part of a tight-knit boating community that spent weekends and vacations together.
Jodi and Edward Wanket, both 54, were close friends with all three and frequently joined them on the water.
Craig Miller, 52, pictured celebrating daughter Ashleigh’s graduation, was among three close friends killed when their boat collided with another vessel on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair
Heidi Baldwin, 56, was an Air Force veteran and devoted mother to a 15-year-old son. Friends remembered her as a generous woman who was ‘always laughing’
Gerald Grzadzinski, 64, known to friends as ‘Lenny,’ was a beloved boat mechanic who knew Lake St. Clair ‘better than anybody out there’
For Jodi, the scale of the tragedy has been almost impossible to comprehend.
‘Losing one of them would be bad enough, but losing three of them all together at the same time is… it’s a lot,’ she told The Detroit News. ‘It’s a lot.’
Among those killed was Baldwin, a mother and Air Force veteran from St. Clair Shores whose 15-year-old son, Zander, was the center of her life.
Jodi had known Baldwin since their days at Anchor Bay High School, although their friendship blossomed around 12 years ago.
She remembered Baldwin as a fiercely loyal woman who never hesitated to speak her mind but would do anything for those she loved.
Baldwin would ‘tell you exactly how it is,’ Jodi recalled, but would also ‘give you the shirt off her back.’
Despite her outspoken personality, Baldwin was easygoing and loved spending time with friends.
‘She was always laughing,’ Jodi said. Her teenage son was ‘her whole entire world,’ she added.
The victims’ boat was found capsized on Lake St. Clair after a devastating nighttime collision that killed three friends and left a fourth hospitalized
Aerial footage reveals extensive damage to one of the vessels involved in the deadly collision, with the impact appearing concentrated around its passenger seating area
Another angle shows the wrecked boat and its badly damaged seating area following the horrific crash that claimed three lives on October 7
Baldwin ran a housecleaning business and was a familiar face among the friends who gathered on Lake St. Clair almost every weekend.
Funeral arrangements for the mother have not yet been finalized.
Grzadzinski, meanwhile, was a beloved boat mechanic from Chesterfield Township who was affectionately known to his friends as ‘Lenny.’
He had spent so much time navigating Lake St. Clair that his friends believed there was almost nobody who understood its waters better.
Jodi said Grzadzinski knew the lake ‘better than anybody out there.’
His passion for boating was so intense that the group would venture onto the water throughout the year, even during the colder months when ice threatened to make trips impossible.
Edward Wanket said Wednesday evenings had become something of a tradition, with the group regularly piling aboard Grzadzinski’s boat and heading out for dinner.
‘He was just an awesome dude,’ Edward said of his friend.
Grzadzinski’s wife, Dawn, was the only person aboard the Thunderbird known to have survived the collision.
Edward said she later described the terrifying ordeal of escaping the sinking boat and attempting to reach safety.
According to his account, Dawn managed to find a cushion from one of the boat’s rear seats and used it to keep herself afloat.
Dawn Grzadzinski miraculously survived the collision that killed her husband Gerald and two close friends, clinging to a floating seat cushion before swimming to shore for help
Craig Miller is pictured enjoying a boat ride with daughter Ashleigh before the tragedy. The father of three was remembered as a cheerful man who was ‘always smiling.’
Heidi Baldwin, a mother and business owner from St. Clair Shores, was one of three friends who died when their boat sank following the collision
Heidi is seen enjoying herself out of the lake with friends during an earlier boating trip
The group were part of a tight-knit boating community that spent weekends and vacations together
She then began swimming, struggling through the water for an extended period before eventually reaching land.
Edward said she had initially been ‘going in the wrong direction.’
Despite the exhausting ordeal, she managed to make it ashore and seek help.
She remains in hospital recovering from the collision. Her precise injuries have not been disclosed.
No funeral date has yet been announced for her husband.
The third victim, Miller, was a hardworking electrician and devoted father of three from Macomb Township.
Friends remembered him as a relentlessly cheerful man who rarely seemed to have a bad word to say about anyone.
‘And he was just always smiling. I mean, he… was never mad at anybody, ever,’ Edward recalled.
Miller’s obituary paints a picture of a father whose children were the driving force behind his life.
He is survived by Tyler Switzer, Grant Miller and Ashleigh Miller, along with his father, stepfather, sister and brothers.
‘He took pride in being a father, coaching his children’s basketball, football, and softball teams, and creating lasting memories along the way,’ his obituary reads.
‘Known for being the life of the party, Craig had a special way of bringing people together and filling every gathering with laughter and fun.’
Craig Miller celebrates his 50th birthday with loved ones in a happier family photograph. His obituary described him as the ‘life of the party.’ Seen with daughter Ashleigh and son, Grant
Heidi Baldwin smiles alongside a companion in a photograph shared on Facebook. Her teenage son, Zander, was described by friends as ‘her whole entire world’
His family has set up a GoFundMe to help cover the financial burden left by his sudden death, including mortgage payments, household bills and other expenses.
‘Our hope is to relieve some of these burdens as we grieve, heal, and adjust to life without our dad,’ the fundraiser states.
Meanwhile, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the collision.
Authorities have identified the driver of the white Sea Ray Sundancer involved in the crash and said that person is cooperating with detectives.
Investigators have not said what caused the boats to collide, and no criminal charges have been brought.
