A man who drowned at Lake Lanier may have had a medical episode before falling into the water, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Around 8:30 a.m. Monday, game wardens were notified of a body in the water near East Bank Park in Buford, a DNR spokesman said. Gwinnett County firefighters recovered the body, which appeared to be that of a middle-aged man.
“The preliminary investigation from the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner indicates the man likely having a medical episode and then falling into water and drowning,” the DNR said in an emailed statement.
The man was later identified as was identified as Dinesh Thakorbhai Patel, 67, of Suwanee
The drowning was the only one reported at Lanier over the Labor Day weekend, according to the DNR. There were two other drownings in state waters, both outside of the metro Atlanta area.
Saturday afternoon, a man in a canoe overturned on the Oconee River in Wilkinson County. At approximately 7:30 p.m. Sunday, the body of Ross Jeffrey Roberts Jr., 41, of Eatonton was located, the DNR said.
On Sunday afternoon, a man wading with his grandson in a shallow area of Lake Oconee fell and did not resurface, according to the DNR. Witnesses pulled the man from the water and began CPR, but he died at the hospital. His name was not released pending notification of family members.
Wardens patrolling state waters and lakes also charged several people for boating under the influence. Six people on Lake Lanier and four on Lake Allatoona were charged with BUI, the DNR said.
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