Hall County man drowns in Lake Lanier

A man who died after diving off a bridge into Lake Lanier on Monday has been identified as William Maddox of Gainesville.

The victim’s identity was released by the Hall County coroner on Tuesday. Maddox, 29, dove off Bell’s Mill Bridge in North Hall County around 6:30 p.m. on Monday, according to Hall County Fire Chief David Kimbrell. Kimbrell said the death was ruled an “accidental drowning.”

Maddox had been jumping off the bridge with three friends. He was the only one not to surface, however.

“That’s quite frequent on our bridges over the lake,” said Kimbrell, who said the bridge is clearly marked with “no diving” signs. “The Sheriff’s Department issues warnings and citations but they still do it.”

Kimbrell estimated the fall from the bridge to the water to be about 30 feet and depth of the water on Monday to have been about 12 to 15 feet.

Hall County Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters were initially unsuccessful finding the man’s body in the lake. Hall County Fire’s Marine Rescue eventually located it in about 10 feet of water.