Pensacola, Fl
A 23-year-old woman died Sunday in a boat accident on ancient Hickory Lake.
The woman slipped from a boat into the lake and hit her head, Captain Dale Grandstaff of Tennessee Wildlife Resources told News 2.
Her body was pulled out of the water around 9 pm, according to Captain Grandstaff.
Her identity was not immediately revealed.
“Statewide we have seen 24 deaths this year, two this weekend. One was in the Watts Bar Reservoir on Saturday and the other locally was yesterday in Drakes Creek,” Captain Grandstaff explained.
“People just want to go out and have a good time and it is the right place to come and have fun with your friends. But water is a dangerous place and if you are not careful things like drowning will happen. No matter how many officers, things will happen, so we at least try to be a deterrent to monitor the process.” Drinking and recklessness, “Captain Grandstaff continued.
Due to COVID-19, there has been an increase in the number of boats on the area’s lakes this summer, and this weekend was no exception.
TWRA boating officer Clay Heitland explained that “a lot of the fallout from COVID with people canceling vacations, canceling plans, on waterways, we’ve seen a massive increase in traffic volumes.”
TWRA said that with so many accidents and deaths this summer, they are preparing for their patrols.
“We’ll have several officers in the lake here every day, three or four boats here every day,” said Hitland, “We’re going to patrol, and we’re really going to watch these disabled drivers, for those individuals who shouldn’t be driving the boat here on the water. And then when they get back to Boat ramp, they’ll take a vehicle. So we’re going to try to stop that on the water before it ever happens. “
The most important thing you can do on the water, Hitland said, is to wear a life jacket.
“The only thing I can stress is how important it is to wear a life jacket here on the water. Our dead, unfortunately, when they jumped or fell into the water, they weren’t wearing a life jacket. So again, I can’t express how important it is to wear a life jacket. Any child 12 years old or younger must wear one at all times while the boat is in motion.
