After a Saturday free of accidents, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources reports a man drowned after falling off a boat Sunday southeast of Atlanta.
At approximately 2:30 a.m. on September 4th, Georgia game wardens responded to a possible drowning in Bear Creek on Lake Jackson.
“The subject fell overboard while riding on the gunwale of a Sea Hunt center console boat. The boat operator turned around to pick up the man but was unable to locate him,” says Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division Public Affairs Officer Mark McKinnon. “The operator then marked the location on GPS and called 911.”
Game wardens searched the area using side scan sonar. The body was located and recovered at 10:31 a.m. by game wardens and the Covington Dive Team.
The victim has been identified as Deppish Kirkland, age 72, of Savannah. The boat operator was arrested for BUI. McKinnon says no other charges are expected at this time.
It was a tragic end to what had been a positive weekend of news on state waterways. On Saturday, there were no drownings, no boating incidents, and no BUI arrests reported statewide.
“It is likely that the weather and the start of the college football season kept many boaters and swimmers away from the lakes and rivers,” McKinnon says.
DNR monitors incidents on the state’s lakes and rivers, including Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell. There have been three BUI arrests on state waterways since the start of the Labor Day holiday. As of mid-afternoon Monday, none had been reported in Northeast Georgia.
