Officials urge water safety after 2 men drown in Tennessee River

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Hamilton County officials are urging water safety with summer approaching. Just this weekend, two men died after drowning in the Tennessee River.

The Chattanooga Fire Department (CFD) and several other agencies worked to find two men who went missing in the water at the Tennessee Riverpark.

At around 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, firefighters arrived at the scene. Responders retrieved both men from the water by 10 p.m.

CFD said one man fell into the water from a boat ramp, and another man jumped in to try to save him. They added that both men then drowned in seven to ten feet of water. Neither of them was wearing a life vest.

“The Chattanooga Fire Department urges people of all ages to wear Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) anytime they’re near water. Summer is upon us, and we don’t want to see anyone else lose their life,” said CFD spokesperson Lindsey Rogers.

Fireboat searching for missing men. CHATTANOOGA FIRE DEPARTMENT

The fire department said it does not have the names or ages of the victims.

The Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management provided the following water safety tips after the recent drownings.

• Wear a life jacket at all times! The Tennessee Law states that every person must have a life jacket on board a boat.
• Wear a life jacket if you are at least 2 feet from a body of water.
• Do not boat under the influence of alcohol. It affects your judgement, vision, balance and coordination. Factor in boat motion, sun, wind, can accelerate a drinker’s impairment.
• Inspect your boat/water recreation vehicle before you take on the water. Make sure everything is working properly.
• Never swim alone! Be sure to use the “buddy system.”
• When swimming in lakes, you should refrain from areas that are marked with signs of DANGER OF DROP OFFS or STRONG CURRENTS.
• Never dive first into unknown water. Even if you are familiar with a like or river, conditions under water can change.
• Don’t rely on floatation devices or water rings to keep children safe. An adult should be swimming with them until they are strong enough to swim without an adult.
• Always make sure someone knows where you are and what time you plan to return

“With the incident that happened this past weekend, one of the family members fell in and the other one went in after them trying to save them and both and perished, please just dial 911 if you don’t know how to swim don’t go in after somebody,” said Terry Knowles, CFD Special Operations Chief.

Just last month, another man fell off a dock into the river and drowned.

On April 14, first responders in Hamilton County responded to the Tennessee River behind Manufacturers Road where a man fell into the water and drowned.

It took them four hours to find the victim, who was a 21-year-old man.