Firefighter Hit By Boat on Lake Tugaloo Drowns

A 27-year-old Firefighter/EMT with the Gainesville, GA Fire Department died Saturday night after a boating accident on Lake Tugalo. Georgia Department of Natural Resources said a bass boat was pulling Chandler Patterson and another person on a tube.

The boat circled back to pick up Patterson after he came off of the tube and possibly ran over him in the water. Georgia Game Wardens and a Oconee County dive team located Patterson’s body in 117 feet of water on Sunday at approximately 12:30 p.m.

Georgia DNR said Kaplan Stacy Mitchell, 20, of Clayton, Ga., was charged with homicide by vessel, boating under the influence under 21 years of age, towing skier without a PFD, operating vessel with greater than 25 hp on Tugalo Lake, operating vessel with insufficient PFDs and operating vessel with expired registration. Georgia DNR said Patterson was not wearing a life jacket.

Georgia DNR CIRT is investigating the incident.