Sunday, Apr. 17, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Tyrone man drowns in HamptonBy LEE WILLIAMS Funeral services were held Thursday for a Tyrone man who drowned Sunday in the Clayton County reservoir. Matthew Adam Sorrow, 36, of Thompson Road, had gone fishing in the Shoal Creek Reservoir on Upper Woolsey Road in Hampton. During his trip, Sorrow apparently fell out of the boat and drowned, Henry County police spokesman Lt. Jason Bolton said. Several witnesses pulled Sorrow to shore and attempted to revive him, but their efforts were unsuccessful, authorities said. There were some witnesses that were fishing in the reservoir and they observed him in the water and they tried to render aid, Bolton said. At 3:17 p.m. Sunday, an unidentified caller phoned for help. Within minutes, officials from the Henry County Police Department responded. Bolton could not say whether Sorrow was wearing a life jacket. He said that information has not been released. But he did say there was no indication alcohol played a factor in the accident. An autopsy was conducted Monday to determine the official cause of death. The incident remains under investigation by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the police department. Sorrow was laid to rest 11 a.m. Thursday at Parrott Funeral Home in Fairburn. Sorrows father, John Alan Sorrow, was still reeling from the tragedy when contacted at the home the two once shared. Sorrow choked back emotion as he talked about his youngest son who worked for the Clayton County Water Authority at the time of the accident. Matthew Sorrow was a special guy who will be missed, his father said. He was a happy-go-lucky type of fellow, Sorrow said. He liked hunting and fishing. He just enjoyed life. Sorrow said he knew his son had been fishing quite a bit recently, but he had no idea he had gone fishing that day. He had been fishing all week, Sorrow said. I came back from church and he was gone and that night I had found out that he drowned. Sorrow said he wasnt sure what led to the drowning, but he said his sons epilepsy might have played a factor. I am sure it was accidental because he did have a history of seizures and we felt like that was what happened, Sorrow said. DNR spokeswoman Melissa Cummings confirmed Sorrow drowned after having an epileptic seizure. She said Sorrow was fishing in the reservoir that belonged to Clayton County, but was located in Henry County. Few people are allowed to fish in the reservoir, she said. Hes a Clayton County employee and they are the only ones allowed in this body of water, Cummings said. The news of Matthew Sorrows drowning comes just days after two other Fayette County men drowned while fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Julian Lee Jr., 50, of Mallard Creek Lane, Fayetteville, the owner of the Lee Center on Bethea Drive, and Dennis Herring, 46, of Grandchester Way, Fayetteville, drowned when their small boat capsized April 14 in high seas. Lees body was found the next day. Herrings body remains at large. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Stan Kirkland said the fishermen ignored a small craft advisory which forbade small boats to go out into the Gulf. People, particularly from out of town, dont realize the Gulf can be very unforgiving at this time of year, Kirkland said. Lees mother, Betty Lee of Fayetteville, denied the claim, stating there were many small boats out in the Gulf that day. The Fayetteville men were vacationing in Destin, Fla., and had gone to catch King mackerel in Lees 27-foot fishing boat, My Girl Too. Authorities said Lee and Herring were not wearing life jackets when their boats overturned. The vessel was towed in Friday night and secured in Destin, Fla. Kirkland said Monday. There were life jackets in the boat when it was recovered and examined. |
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