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Sunday, November 1, 2026Nov 1

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Two dead in separate water-related accidents

The sunset is reflected in Lake Chickamauga near Harrison Bay.
The sunset is reflected in Lake Chickamauga near Harrison Bay. The sunset is reflected in Lake Chickamauga near Harrison Bay.
photo Logan Nichelson, 21, was charged with boating under the influence after his jet ski crashed into another jet ski on Chickamauga Lake Saturday. The driver of the other jet ski, William Coker, 21, died from his injuries.
photo Weiss Lake is located in Cherokee County Alabama.

A 21-year-old man has died after a jet ski crash Saturday on Chickamauga Lake.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said in a news release that William Coker, of Collierville, Tenn., died Sunday at Erlanger hospital.

Investigators said a jet ski Coker was riding was struck Saturday evening by another jet ski, ridden by 21-year-old Logan Nichelson, of Brentwood, Tenn. The incident happened near Island Cove Marina. Nichelson was carrying a passenger, Andrew Kirsch, 21, of Old Hickory, Tenn. Neither sustained injuries.

Nichelson was charged with boating under the influence and booked into Hamilton County Jail on Saturday night. He was released on a $2,000 bond Sunday. He’s due to appear in court July 6.

In another water-related fatality, a 17-year-old boy drowned Monday in Weiss Lake in Alabama. According to The Associated Press, the teen, whose name is being withheld pending notification of his family, was from Cave Spring, Ga.

Cherokee County coroner Jeremy Deaton said the teen was playing a water game with friends near a pier at a residence in Centre, Ala., when he went underwater and never resurfaced. Paramedics found the victim under the pier and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

According to Deaton, the body will be sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences Lab for an autopsy. An investigation into the drowning is ongoing.