Graduating seniors were playing a dangerous game at a lake. The group put a person in a shopping cart, tied the cart to a pole and then pushed the cart down the dock.

When the rope stopped the cart, the rider was thrown into the water.

But Chance Werner tied the cart to himself instead.

When the cart went into the water, it pulled him to the bottom, where he drowned.

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Chance’s body was found by divers in 30 feet of water in Lake Allatoona, Georgia.

Werner's father Fred told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, "He was a big boy, had a big heart."

Werner had an 8-month-old son and had taken online classes to earn his high school degree.

Police are still investigating the incident but expect it to be classified as an accident.

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Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com