As warm weather arrives and more people head to Georgia’s waterways this summer to cool down, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is increasing enforcement in an attempt to reduce deaths, boating under the influence and boating accidents.
The Memorial Day weekend proved to be deadly in Georgia, with seven people killed. Five died in a boat crash near Savannah, and two others drowned in separate incidents on metro Atlanta lakes.
Mark McKinnon, Georgia DNR’s Law Enforcement Division communications manager, said game wardens are expected to be out in full force throughout the summer.
The problem is, like many law enforcement agencies, there is a shortage of game wardens at the department.
“We are out there working. We got our game wardens on all of our waterways all summer long. Certain waterways, of course, are much busier than others, so we try to have more of our guys on those lakes,” McKinnon said. “It’s a challenge for us; we can’t be everywhere all the time.”
McKinnon said an academy class is expected to graduate in the next couple of weeks and Georgia DNR is trying to get another class going as soon as possible. In the meantime, he said it’s important for those using the lakes and waterways to do their part to make sure everyone is safe.
A concerning trend Georgia DNR saw over the holiday weekend was the increase in boating under the influence incidents. There were 40 BUIs during Memorial Day weekend, an increase from 30 in 2021 and 35 in 2020.
“Alcohol and water don’t mix well together. Alcohol completely messes with your motor skills,” McKinnon said.
According to Georgia DNR data, the number of BUIs have been increasing for the past three years, from 217 in 2019 to 237 in 2020 to 243 in 2021.
Mark Stegall, 45, was arrested and charged with boating under the influence in the Savannah crash after his boat collided with another boat. Chris Leffler, 51, his wife Lori, 50, and sons Zack, 23, and Nate, 17, died in the crash. Katie Leffler, along with a friend, survived.
Robert Chauncey, 37, who was riding on Stegall’s boat, also died.
McKinnon thinks boating under the influence continues to be a problem because few people are aware of the law that is the same as the driving law, with .08 being considered legally drunk behind the wheel.
“Drinking and driving has been against the law for many years. Back in the ’60s and ’70s, there were no laws against drinking and boating and that is what people did,” McKinnon said. “When the law changed, it’s taken a while, and still some people don’t recognize it. It takes a while to change the culture.”
McKinnon said it’s important for parents to keep a watchful eye on their children whenever they are in the water. During the weekend, Kaiden Franklin, 5, drowned at Lake Allatoona. State law says children under 13 years old must wear a life jacket.
Jose Camarillo, 20, also drowned over the weekend at Lake Lanier while swimming at the Margaritaville water park.
“Do not assume somebody else is watching your children,” McKinnon said. “Don’t let your children get in the water, especially the really young ones, without a life jacket on. Stay close to them.”
McKinnon said every drowning and almost every boating incident is avoidable, but only if the proper protocols and laws are followed. Not only are officials going to be looking for potential BUIs on the waterways, but also if boaters are following Georgia’s 100-foot law.
The law requires boaters to reduce their speed to idle when they are 100 feet away from any other boat, structure or swimmer. McKinnon encouraged anyone on the water this summer to report suspicious or dangerous activity to 911 or Georgia DNR Law Enforcement.
“We want people to report anything they see. It’s always good to report any violations you see like that just for the safety of everybody,” he said. “Everybody needs to do their part.”
