HIXSON, Tenn. — A 51-year-old man from Rock Spring, Georgia, died Saturday after jumping into the Tennessee River to retrieve part of a broken boat platform, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
The incident occurred near Dogwood Drive on the Chickamauga Reservoir around 1:15 p.m., when witnesses say the man leapt into the water from a runabout boat to recover a piece of its swim platform that had detached.
Victim Was Not Wearing a Life Jacket
Officials confirmed the man was not wearing a lifejacket when he entered the water — a critical factor that likely contributed to the tragedy. He never resurfaced, prompting an extensive search operation by the TWRA and Hamilton County authorities.
Crews utilized Side Scanning Sonar and a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) to locate the man, whose body was recovered from a depth of 15 to 18 feet around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday…