Searchers have recovered the body of a father who disappeared Friday in Lake Hartwell. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division identified the victim as 45-year-old Constantin Pascal of Lawrenceville.
“Based on statements from witnesses, while pulling his son on a tube, the father noticed that the child’s life jacket had come unfastened. He immediately put the boat in neutral and jumped into the water from the vessel to assist the child, but the man did not resurface after entering the water,” says the agency’s spokesperson Mark McKinnon.
According to McKinnon, a passerby rescued the juvenile and transported him to the Payne’s Creek Boat Ramp on Lake Hartwell.
Two days of searching
The incident happened near Payne’s Creek Campground. Deputies responded to the area around 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 16. First responders searched late into the night and resumed their search Saturday.
Game Wardens, with assistance from Hart County Fire, the Hart County Sheriff’s Office, Anderson County, South Carolina Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit, and the Elbert County Fire Dive Team, searched the lake using SONAR and underwater drones.
They also conducted surface searches and used divers in several locations, McKinnon says.
On Sunday, June 17, at 6:40 p.m., the Elbert County Fire Dive Team recovered Pascal’s body in 43 feet of water.
Pascal reportedly was not wearing a life vest when he jumped into the water.
Third drowning in three days
This is at least the third drowning to impact Northeast Georgians in less than a week.
Also on Thursday, a retired Banks County firefighter drowned while rescuing two swimmers in distress at Panama City Beach, where he was vacationing. And on Saturday, a 12-year-old boy drowned in Lake Russell near Mt. Airy.
With the summer months in full swing, McKinnon advises there are steps people can take to help protect themselves and others against drowning.
“Even though it appears this one was just a very tragic incident, generally, people need to remember to wear life jackets, always closely supervise children, don’t boat or swim while impaired, and be sure not to try to swim above your ability.”
