Authorities are continuing to investigate a boat collision on Lake Lanier that killed a Duluth man and seriously injured a Milledgeville woman near East Bank Park in Buford around midnight Saturday.
Gwinnett Police were called to the scene of the accident by a passing motorist who had been flagged down by two people who were involved in the accident.
Steven Parker, 32, and Ashley LeBlanc, 30, both of Cumming, told police they were crossing the lake in a 21-foot ski boat when they struck an unknown object in the water. The two swam to shore for help, and managed to climb the bank to nearby Buford Dam Road and flag down the motorist, according to police.
The couple, who were wearing life jackets when police arrived, were taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries, according to authorities.
The search immediately began for the second boat involved in the accident. Rescuers found the body of a man in the water within the first 30 minutes of the search. He was later identified as 59-year-old Stephen Blake Jones, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Authorities found the second boat -- a 30-foot pontoon -- around 5 a.m. in the Shoal Creek area of the lake near East Bank Park. A woman was still aboard the damaged vessel, according to police. Authorities identified her as Sharon C. Ezell, 61, of Milledgeville.
She was taken to North Fulton Hospital in Alpharetta in serious condition. The collision occurred about 200 yards from the face of the dam, back toward Lower Overlook Park inside Gwinnett County, according to DNR spokesman Maj. Stephen Adams.
He said the DNR investigation may not be complete for at least 30 days. "We will not consider recommending charges to the appropriate court system until our investigation is complete," said Adams. "We will look at alcohol as a possible factor just as speed, lights, operator experience and other factors may have been a contributing factor to the incident."
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