Ladd woman dies in boating accident

LADD — The investigation continues into a Wednesday morning boating accident in Wisconsin that claimed the life of an 82-year-old Ladd woman.

Betty Piacenti was killed about 9:13 a.m. Wednesday when the 17-foot Lund boat in which she was riding apparently crashed into the shoreline. The boat was driven by the victim’s son, Dr. Merle Piacenti, 60, of Peru, who was flown to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., for treatment.

On Friday, Recreational Safety Warden William Yearman with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in Eau Claire, Wis., said the boating accident happened at Long Lake in the northwestern portion of the state. When found, the boat was about three-quarters of the way onto the shore. Betty Piacenti was found deceased in the boat. Merle Piacenti was found by a neighbor near the accident scene. The neighbor called 911.

At this point, the cause of Betty Piacenti’s death is not known, Yearman said. It is his understanding, there was nothing blatantly obvious at the scene as to the cause of the woman’s death.

Also, there are no known witnesses to the accident at this time, Yearman said.

The accident remains under investigation by the WDNR law enforcement. The investigation is expected to take at least a couple weeks.

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