Hudson man’s death ruled an accident

HUDSON – The state medical examiner’s office has determined that the man whose body was found Monday floating facedown at Little Pushaw Pond had drowned accidentally.

Norman Whitney Sr., 76, was a year-round resident at the pond on Hay Road. He was last seen around 7:30 p.m. Sunday on his homemade 10-foot pontoon boat.

His body was discovered Monday by a friend and neighbor near Oak Point, and the boat was found about a half-mile away, according to officials with the Maine Warden Service.

There were life vests on board the boat, but Whitney wasn’t wearing one, warden service spokesman Mark Latti said Monday. Each year, about 80 percent of boating fatalities involve people who aren’t wearing life jackets.