News

Eatonton man killed in a boat collision on Lake Sinclair

Summary

One man is dead following the collision of two boats on the southern end of Lake Sinclair Wednesday afternoon. Investigators say, George Harper, 80, of Eatonton, was celebrating his birthday on board his 18-foot fishing boat idling in a cove […]

Google Maps image of the southern part of Lake Sinclair October 27, 2021.

One man is dead following the collision of two boats on the southern end of Lake Sinclair Wednesday afternoon.

Investigators say, George Harper, 80, of Eatonton, was celebrating his birthday on board his 18-foot fishing boat idling in a cove near the Bass Boat House when another boat struck the vessel.

The victim’s brother-in-law, Sonny Poole of Eatonton, was also on board at the time of the accident.

“Two boats did collide, and one person was ejected, and ultimately one person ended up succumbing to his injuries,” said Cpl. Lynn Stanford with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources investigation division. “They were in an 18-foot ‘low boat,’ which is a larger Jon Boat, but it’s a fishing boat that’s commonly used on lakes and rivers here.”

According to DNR Spokesman Mark McKinnon, another boat came out of the cove and “was not yet going fast enough for the boat to plane, so the bow was still high enough to obscure the operator’s vision.”

McKinnon says the operator “attempted to steer away, but he struck the fishing boat, rendering a passenger in that boat unconscious and not breathing.”

The other vessel was an 18-foot Phoenix bass boat operated by Richard Reed, 64, of Lizella.

Stanford told Lake Country Today that the investigation remains active, and it’s too soon to determine what exactly happened.

The DNR Law Enforcement Critical Incident Reconstruction Team (CIRT) will be investigating the incident. More on that in the clip below:

LISTEN: Cpl. Stanford on the pace of the investigation

LISTEN: Cpl. Stanford on the history of boating accidents on Lake Sinclair
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *