Man slips off dock at popular Georgia lake and never resurfaces, officials say
A 23-year-old slipped from a dock before disappearing into Lake Lanier over Labor Day weekend.
It’s the third reported death at the lake in about two weeks.
Game wardens were called at about 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, about a drowning at the popular Atlanta-area lake, Mark McKinnon with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said in a news release.
The man, identified as Gavrie Alexander Whitlock of Snellville, was running down a dock when he slipped and fell into the water, McKinnon said. He never resurfaced.
It happened near Holiday Marina, the oldest and one of the largest floating marinas on the lake, according to the marina’s website. It sits on the south end of Lake Lanier near the Lanier Islands and offers sailing and aqua sports.
Hall County Fire Rescue officials found Whitlock in 17 feet of water, according to McKinnon. It’s not clear how long he had been underwater.
Additional information wasn’t released.
His death is the latest of several at the lake in recent weeks. On Aug. 26, Edgar Steven Cruz Martinez, 23, was swimming when he went under and didn’t resurface, McClatchy News reported. Crews later recovered his body in 10 feet of water.
Bryan Tarasona, 22, of Lawrenceville, also went underwater while trying to swim back to shore with friends about a week earlier. He was pulled from the water in critical condition and later died.
His death happened almost a month after 27-year-old Leonardo Martinez went missing while swimming near Van Pugh Park and was found dead near the shore days later.
Drownings in the U.S.
An estimated 4,000 people die from drowning in the U.S. every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Drowning is among the leading causes of death in children and certain factors can increase its chances, health experts say. These include not knowing how to swim well or at all, a lack of proper supervision, not wearing a life vest and, for adults, drinking alcohol while recreating near or in water.
The National Drowning Prevention Alliance cites tips to help keep you safe in the water, including checking local weather conditions, never swimming alone and choosing the right equipment.
Lake Lanier is about 50 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
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