22-year-old swimmer dies trying to reach shore on Lake Lanier, Georgia deputies say
.jpg "A man was in critical condition and later died after trying to swim back to shore with two friends at Lake Lanier in Hall County, Georgia.")
UPDATE: A young man has died after an incident at Lake Lanier, Georgia authorities say.
The victim was identified as Bryan Tarasona, 22, of Lawrenceville, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators believe Tarasona was swimming back to shore with two friends when he went under and didn’t resurface. An autopsy is pending.
The original story continues below.
A man is in critical condition after nearly drowning in Georgia’s Lake Lanier, fire rescue crews say.
Crews responded at about 6:40 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, after a report of a drowning near Van Pugh Park, according to Hall County Fire Rescue.
Rescuers used sonar to locate the man before a “remotely operated vehicle” pulled him to the water’s surface, per a news release. Authorities didn’t say how long he had been underwater.
The man, who wasn’t named, was taken in critical condition to a waiting ambulance, officials said.
The incident comes nearly a month after a 27-year-old man vanished while swimming near Van Pugh Park, McClatchy News reported. Leonardo Martinez’s body was found near the shore five days later.
Authorities didn’t provide additional details on the latest incident but are expected to give an update Tuesday, Aug. 22.
Van Pugh Park is about 45 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
The history of Lake Lanier
The man-made reservoir was built in phases from 1950 to 1957 and hit “full pool” in August 1958, according to the lake’s website. Originally envisioned as a hydroelectric power source, Lake Lanier now provides drinking water to much of metro Atlanta.
Its development didn’t come without some controversy, however. Construction for the dam led to the seizure of 56,000 acres of private land and “effectively erased” a predominately Black town known as Oscarville, according to the site.
More than 1,000 predominantly Black residents, businesses and cemeteries were displaced, according to the website.
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 10:56 AM with the headline "22-year-old swimmer dies trying to reach shore on Lake Lanier, Georgia deputies say."