A 51-year-old Rock Spring, Ga., man drowned in Lake Chickamauga on Saturday afternoon.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) officers and local authorities responded to a 911 call around 1:15 p.m. on Saturday on Chickamauga Lake near Dogwood Drive.
Officers confirmed the report of a man who entered the water to retrieve a piece of the runabout boat’s swim platform that dislodged from the boat as it was underway. The man was not wearing a life jacket and did not resurface.
After extensive search efforts using Side Scanning Sonar and a Remote Operated Vehicle, the victim was recovered around 8:30 p.m. in approximately 15 to 18 feet of water.
Local rescue units were of great support and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office’s equipment was instrumental in locating the victim, the TWRA said.
This is the 16th fatal boating incident in Tennessee this year. The incident remains under investigation and the name of the deceased will not be released until next of kin are notified.