12-year-old dies after getting trapped under boat with family aboard, Georgia cops say
A 12-year-old boy died in “an unfortunate accident” during a family boat trip in Georgia, authorities say.
Game wardens responded at about noon Saturday, June 17, to a boat crash on the Oconee River in Treutlen County, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and WMAZ.
Colten Foskey was onboard with his dad and two brothers when their boat struck a sandbar, the family and officials said. He was ejected and got trapped underneath.
“I’m sure there are a million stories but this is the only one that matters,” Colten’s father, Jaime Foskey, wrote on Facebook. “I was there and witnessed it. We just lost my baby.”
“Hunter and Brody were also in the boat,“ Foskey said. “I don’t know how I will make it through this but prayers from everyone will definitely help.”
Authorities said Colten was found unconscious under the boat. Rescuers attempted CPR and took him to a hospital where he died.
“Right now, we don’t have an exact cause of death,” Cpl. Rodney Horne with Georgia DNR told WMAZ. “It’s pending part of an investigation ... but the initial report was blunt force trauma.”
Authorities didn’t release additional information.
Tributes for the 12-year-old appeared on social media after news of the accident.
Colten attended East Laurens Middle School in East Dublin and was “a wonderful student, athlete, and friend to many,” officials wrote on the school’s Facebook page.
“This is one of the hardest things i have ever had happen to me,” his brother, Hunter, wrote. “The one that has called me Brother since the day he could talk ... the one that helped me through some of the most toughest things. ... Go have fun playing in all the mud holes and riding the river as long as you want.”
Colten’s funeral is planned for Friday, June 23, according to an online obituary.
Treutlen County is about 150 miles southeast of Atlanta.
This story was originally published June 20, 2023 at 11:49 AM with the headline "12-year-old dies after getting trapped under boat with family aboard, Georgia cops say."