A Dyer County, Tennessee, man drowned on Independence Day after falling overboard at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers in Meigs County, marking the state’s 11th boating-related death of 2024.
State wildlife officers and authorities responded to a call around 9:45 a.m. Thursday concerning a man who was fishing with a friend and is thought to have suffered a medical emergency and fallen into the water, according to a statement from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The man was not wearing a life jacket.
(READ MORE: Investigation ongoing after 17-year-old drowns Monday on Chickamauga Lake)
The angler still on board jumped into the water and pulled the man to the boat, where he called 911 and drove toward the state Highway 58 boat ramp, authorities said in the statement. The man, thought to be in his mid-70s, was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Meigs County morgue. The state wildlife agency has not released the man’s name.
— Compiled by Ben Benton
Staff Photo / Emergency personnel from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Volunteer State Search and Rescue take a break from searching for a boat crash victim in 2010 on Chickamauga Lake. A Dyer County, Tenn., man drowned on July Fourth after falling overboard at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers bringing the number of boating-related deaths in Tennessee to 11 for 2024.