Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Woman Drowns After Falling Off Lake Lanier Dock

The victim's husband couldn't swim either, but still tried to rescue her.

Update: 7-8-13 at 2:17 p.m.

The relatively quiet holiday weekend at Lake Lanier was marred Sunday (July 7) by a drowning, reports the GA Department of Natural Resources.

The tragedy happened when Marines Rosa Dillon, 59, of Hope Road in Cumming, fell off a dock while trying to grab a turtle in the water, according to the husband, Dan Dillon. He told rescuers that his wife could not swim and he jumped in to help, but he could not swim either.

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A neighbor heard them screaming and ran down to the dock to help and then called 911 around 6:09 p.m. When EMT’s arrived they said both husband and wife were a few feet away from the shore. Rescue personnel said the victim was unresponsive and started CPR. The husband was conscious and responsive, but appeared to be exhausted. Both were transported to Northside Hospital-Forsyth. 

Mrs. Dillon was later pronounced dead.

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The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Section is currently investigating the death.

It was the second fatality on Georgia waterways. A 52-year-old Dallas man died on Allatoona Lake after falling out of his boat and being struck by it.

There were 13 boating under the influence cases on waterways patrolled by the GA Department of Natural Resources and eight cases with injuries. This year was worse than last year, when seven BUIs, one incident and no fatalities were reported.

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