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Autopsy reports show Dr. Richard Cross died from an accidental electrocution Wednesday evening behind his home.
Police reported Cross was apparently using a battery charger on a personal watercraft in Winona Lake when he was electrocuted.
Cross, 50, was a respected physician in women's health at Kosciusko Community Hospital for 23 years. He treated 14,000 patients in his practice. His obituary appears on page 3A.
Kosciusko County Coroner Larry Ladd said today that, the cause of Cross' death was ruled electrocution. Ladd said there were no signs of any other injury.
According to police reports, Joshua Saylor was the first person on the scene. Saylor told police that he arrived at Cross' home at 907 Glee Miner Drive, Warsaw, and got no response to the doorbell. He said he looked through a window and saw Cross hunched over a personal watercraft in the lake behind the house.
Saylor said that Cross was not moving and was standing on the edge of the watercraft lift up to his shins in lake water. His head was reportedly face down on the watercraft.
A battery charger was sitting on the edge of the watercraft, Saylor said. Cross' right elbow was resting on it.
Saylor said he jumped into the water and saw Cross' face was a deep purple. He ran to call 911 and went back to the lake.
When Saylor touched the battery charger, he was shocked by the electricity. The force of the shock knocked him into the water, he told police.
He then unplugged the battery charger and moved it from the edge of the craft to the rail of the lift, where it sat half submerged in the water. Saylor said he tried to move Cross, but could not and waited until help arrived.
A neighbor, David Holslaw, said he tried to help Saylor with Cross and saw the battery charger next to the watercraft, half submerged.
The neighbor said he followed the cord to make sure it was unplugged before he jumped in the water.
One of Cross' sons later told police it was normal for Cross to work on the watercraft and use the battery charger.
Warsaw Police officer David Morales responded first to the scene and reported Cross appeared to have severe burn marks near his right elbow, forearm and wrist.
Authorities would not speculate on exactly how the accident occurred.
Morales was able to free Cross' leg from the lift and carry him 9 feet to the shore. Morales and a neighbor performed CPR on Cross until Multi-Township EMS arrived.
Morales reported that the watercraft was sitting on a lift over the water and cables from the batery charger were running into the back of the craft. He said he saw an extension cord running from the seawall toward Cross' house.
