CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – A 52-year-old man died Sunday afternoon after falling from his boat and being run over by the unmanned vessel on a lake in northwest Georgia.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials said Robert Lewis, of Dallas Ga., fell from his boat in Allatoona Lake Sunday morning and wasn’t wearing a life jacket. Details on what caused the man to fall from the boat weren’t immediately available.
Witnesses told WSB-TV it appeared as if Lewis was trying to swim back to his boat when it ran him over. Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mike Barr told the television station boaters should look for a safe place and swim away from their vessel if they fall out of it.
The man’s boat began circling after he fell into the water, Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Melissa Cummings said. Officials worked to regain control of the boat while keeping others away from the area. The unoccupied boat circled at full throttle for about 15 minutes before it ran out of gas and came to a stop, Cummings said.
Officials have said Lewis was unconscious when he was pulled from the water.