Drowning in Lake Lanier

[Upstate Scuba OWI]

If the search goes into a second week my team may be activated to come search. Can anyone give me rough details of depth and info if the laying timber that I've seen in other parts of Lanier is in that area?

911 tape reveals chaotic aftermath of Lanier boat crash  | ajc.com

 

[fdog]

Without knowing anything else about the incident, an impression from examining the photo of the damaged pontoon boat: it appears that the fishing boat was approaching from the pontoon boats' Danger Zone.


All the best, James

 

[joe8mofo]

If the search goes into a second week my team may be activated to come search. Can anyone give me rough details of depth and info if the laying timber that I've seen in other parts of Lanier is in that area?

911 tape reveals chaotic aftermath of Lanier boat crash | ajc.com

Absolutely if you can show me the search area on an areal map.

The northern end of lanier has very poor visibility. The south end has decent visibility right now below 60 feet. Whether the timber is standing or fallen depends on where the search area is

 

[TonyW388]

I was wondering if you guys were still coming down now that the FBI is also involved?

---------- Post Merged on June 27th, 2012 at 08:40 AM ---------- Previous Post was on June 26th, 2012 at 08:07 AM ----------

So a co-worker with the BRT(body recovery team) for GEMA was out on the lake yesterday with his dog. He says, "they got an hit on a general area where the boy might be." The FBI was going to use thier 3-d side scan sonar first and send the divers down if they thought it might be him.

Let the divers stay safe and I hope they succeed in finding him for some closure for the family.

Questions?

As I understand it usually takes a week for the decompostion to start occuring and the body to attemt to float to the surface(assuming no puntures to the body cavity.) Then it could be hindered by the trees if it was caught up in them on the way to the surface.

So my question is if the body falls to the bottom of the lake(which is very silty with almost like a clay/mud type substance about 6-12" deep) could the body create a suction that would actually keep it from floating up?

.

 

[joe8mofo]

Given that the depth was implied to be over 60 feet by the media, if the body is currently at depths exceeding 60 feet then it basically is in a fridge as the temps beyond 60 feet currently remain in the 40s. Decomposition will be severely slowed if this is the case.

 

[TonyW388]

We know decomp is taking place as that is the specific scent (even in water) my co-workers dog is trained to recognize. My question was more about the silt composition and depth relative to a body landing in it.

Example
When I dropped my flash light(a year or so ago when my primary had died) I had to stick my hand 8" or so in the muck to find my light. It was like trying to pull your hand off the end of a vacuum hose that was running.

I was wonder if the fall of the body and the silt in the lake played a part in actually keeping the body trapped down. Obviously a puncture wound to the thorax or abdominal cavity could keep the body from ever rising(at least that's what I've heard.)

 

[TonyW388]

Sources confirm to Channel 2 that the body of Griffin Prince, 13, has been found.

http://cdn.localwireless.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=146&nid=3791872360&cid=3192

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/divers-tackle-day-9-lake-lanier-search/nPf8S/

HALL COUNTY, Ga. —
After nine days of intense searching, dive crews were finally able to recover the body of 13-year-old Griffin Prince.

Hall County authorities said a drunken boater slammed into Griffin's family's pontoon boat near Buford Dam at Shoal Creek on June 18, killing his 9-year-old brother, Jake Prince, instantly.

Griffin went overboard.

Crews had been searching since 7 a.m. Wednesday.

In a late-day news conference, investigators said they had recovered several items from the water in the area where the crash had happened.

Channel 2 Action News confirmed with sources that about 6 p.m. Wednesday, dive teams recovered the body of Griffin. Investigators held a news conference at 8 p.m. where they announced Griffin's body had been found.

"We do hope the recovery of Griffin helps them put some closure on this tragic event at this time," Hall County Sheriff Steve Cronic said. "It's so important to have that closure, and all of our guys understand that. So many of us have children of our own."

Divers from the Hall County Sheriff's Office and the FBI recovered the body from an area where they were conducting their most dangerous dives yet.

Dive crews said he was found in about 113 feet down in the water.

"The depths ranged as much as close to 140 feet. There's forest under there, and they were literally climbing trees, trying to locate Griffin," Cronic said.

The sheriff said divers faced extreme conditions once in the water, but they vowed not to give up until Griffin was found.

Paul Bennett, 44, was driving the boat that struck the Griffin family's pontoon boat the evening of June 18.

Bennett has since been charged with boating under the influence.

Records show Bennett owns Paul Bennett Studios, a hair salon in Johns Creek, and lived in a home in Cumming, though neighbors told Channel 2's Richard Elliot that he and his wife and daughter had recently moved out of the home.

They said Bennett was living on a boat at Bald Ridge Marina, the same marina where DNR rangers arrested him June 19.
It was originally reported that Bennett had quickly fled the scene of the wreck when it happened, but witnesses said that wasn’t the case.

 

[Road Guy]

I'm glad they found the boy...Hope it can help his family somewhat..

This is a horrible accident and even though drinking was involved here, I think people do not have the right amount of respect for night time boating. Im a boater and have been for 2 decades, but half the people on the lake shouldnt be allowed out during the day time let alone at night.