Wednesday, February 21, 2001
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Wednesday, February 21, 2001 |
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Line Creek swim fatal to boy, 13 By JOHN MUNFORD A strong current and high waters are being blamed as causes that led to the drowning of a local 13-year-old boy Sunday afternoon in Line Creek. Authorities said Michael Hunter, a seventh grader at Whitewater Middle School, was attempting to swim across the creek near the Line Creek Estates subdivision when he was pulled underwater. Another youth attempted to rescue the boy, to no avail, said Maj. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. The boy's body was found Monday morning after 10 a.m. by searchers from the Fayette County Marshal's Department, who were manning a boat. Dive teams from the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services, the Fayette County Sheriff's Department and the Peachtree City Fire and Rescue Department also took part in the search, which began Sunday afternoon and was temporarily called off just after dark that evening. Clayton County's Police Department also sent a dive team and its helicopter to aid in the search of the area. The waters of the creek had risen dramatically after Friday's storm, said Jack Krakeel, the director of emergency services for Fayette County. The creek's level is usually around three or four feet, but it had risen to around eight feet thanks to Friday night's rainstorm, authorities said. Krakeel said the incident serves as a reminder to residents to stay away from bodies of water, especially after heavy rains and in the winter when the water is very cold. "Both children and adults can overestimate their ability to swim in water that strong," Krakeel said of the swift currents that pulled Hunter underwater. The water temperature was measured around 60 degrees at the time of the incident. The first crews arrived on the scene six minutes after the call was received around 2 p.m. Sunday, said Capt. Pete Nelms of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. The dive team was on the scene 45 minutes later, he said. The dive teams worked two-hour shifts in searching the waters. The body was discovered in a logjam about 30 yards from where the divers were searching, Jordan said. Hunter had been visiting friends in the neighborhood, Krakeel said.
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