The body of a Georgia man was found Monday after he died trying to save his father from drowning during a fishing trip, authorities said.
The 64-year-old father had fallen asleep on their boat and awoke believing he was at home, Troup County Sheriff’s Sgt. Stewart Smith confirmed Monday.
The father, who was not identified, tried to go to the bathroom and fell into the lake where the boat was tied up to a bridge, Smith said.
The man’s son, Jeremiah Israel, 34, of Jonesboro, jumped into the water to save him, Smith said in a news release.
Authorities were dispatched to the scene shortly after midnight Monday.
Other boaters at West Point Lake who saw the incident helped pull the father from the water, Smith said. He was later taken to a hospital and released.
Israel never emerged from the lake. His body was recovered shortly before 11:00 a.m. Monday, Smith said.
In the release, he said Israel’s death appeared to be a “tragic accidental drowning.”