photo by Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
photo by Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
photo by Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
photo by Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
The body of a missing boater has been recovered from Lake Chickamauga. He was identified as 78-year-old Phil Acord, who reportedly fell into the water around 12:30 p.m. while fishing with a friend.
Mr. Acord retired at the end of 2021 after 52 years at the Chambliss Center for Children.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, along with the Hamilton County EMA, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and Dallas Bay Fire Department, responded to the call. TWRA officers and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office utilized remote operated vehicles to search the area near the Ware Branch boating access on Thatch Road.
Hamilton County Sheriff’s office located Mr. Acord just after 5:30 p.m. He was not wearing a life jacket. The water temperature was 53 degrees and water depths in the area vary between 10 and 15 feet.
This is the state's first boating fatality in 2024.