More deaths, boating incidents reported on Georgia waterways during Fourth of July weekend
The Fourth of July proved to be chaotic for some celebrating the holiday on Georgia’s lakes and other waterways this year.
Published: Jul. 6, 2025 at 1:24 PM EDT|Updated: Jul. 6, 2025 at 8:46 PM EDT
Editor’s note: The video in this story is from previous coverage
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The chaotic list of water-related incidents on different bodies of water in Georgia during the Fourth of July weekend continues to grow.
According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), 19 people have been hurt and five have died in various incidents in the state throughout Friday and Saturday.
RELATED: Deaths, explosions and lightning strike among Fourth of July boating accidents in Georgia
On Saturday, a boat was reportedly on fire around 1 a.m. at a private dock on Lake Hartwell. The boat was a total loss – including a jet ski, the dock and all items on it – but no injuries were reported. The owner told fire officials that electrical issues could have been the cause of the fire.
A sailboat overturned in the St. Andrews Sound at Little Cumberland Island at 4 p.m., prompting the Camden County Marine Unit and the National Park Service to respond. When they arrived, they saw the sailboat washed up on the beach with its two occupants standing beside it. The sailboat was completely destroyed but no injuries were reported.
Later in the day, at around 5 p.m., 15-year-old boy drowned in the Ocmulgee River. Several witnesses told game wardens where he went under, resulting in a search to quickly start. The boy’s body was found at 8:15 p.m.
Some time after 6 p.m., a 62-year-old man became unresponsive after water skiing in Wehadkee Creek at West Point Lake. According to DNR, the man was taken to Glass Bridge Park before game wardens got there. EMS gave CPR to the man, and he was taken to Wellstar Hospital, where he later died.
In the next hour, DNR reported that a man was taken to Athens Piedmont Regional Hospital after he cut his head when he fell off an Electric Hydrofoil Surfboard (eFoil) on Lake Oconee.
Lastly, just before 9 p.m., game wardens responded to a possible drowning at the dock of Horace King Access on West Point Lake. Units were told that a 21-year-old man who was swimming at the dock went under and had not come back up. After searching for the man, the Troup County Dive Team was able to recover his body in about 15 feet of water – 10 to 15 feet from the dock – after 10 p.m.
DNR will continue recording incidents throughout the holiday weekend, which ends at midnight on Sunday.
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