A Lawrenceville man died Monday night after being pulled from Lake Lanier, according to investigators.
Brayan Tarasona, 22, went to Van Pugh Park on Gaines Ferry Road to swim, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said. Witnesses said Tarason swam into deep water and was attempting to get back to the shore when he went under.
Rescue crews from the Hall fire department were called to the area shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tarasona was pulled from the water with a remote vehicle and taken to the hospital in critical condition. He died about two hours later.
His death is the fourth in recent weeks at Lake Lanier and the second at Van Pugh Park.
In late July, 24-year-old Thomas “Shep” Milner jumped into the water from his family’s dock near Little Ridge Park in Forsyth County and was shocked by an electrical current in the water, investigators said.
Two days later, 61-year-old Tracy Stewart, of Stone Mountain, was pulled from 110 feet of water several hours after he jumped in from a boat near East Bank Park and became distressed. He wasn’t wearing a life jacket, and by the time his group found one for him, he was already underwater, Gwinnett County officials said.
Earlier this month, the body of a 27-year-old Buford man who went missing while swimming at Van Pugh Park was found after five days of searching, according to officials. Leonardo Martinez went underwater and never resurfaced. His body was recovered by game wardens during shore sweeps near the park, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. He was found about 30 yards from the shore.
