46-year-old man drowns while swimming to his boat on Georgia lake, officials say

A Georgia man drowned in Lake Lanier over Labor Day weekend, authorities said.

Hasani Kamau Widemond, 46, of Vinings, was swimming from the shore to his boat Saturday, Aug. 31, when he went under and never resurfaced, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Game wardens, with help from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and fire rescue crews, responded just before 2 p.m. after a report of the drowning at Bethel Park in Gainesville, authorities said in a news release.

Using boat-mounted sonar, crews found Widemond’s body in “approximately 25 feet of water” and pulled him from the lake, authorities said.

The drowning was one of four boating incidents reported in the state over the long holiday weekend.

Additional information wasn’t immediately available.

Gainesville is about a 50-mile drive northeast from downtown Atlanta.

Drownings in the U.S.

At least 4,000 people die from drowning every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children are at increased risk, and experts say certain factors make drowning more likely, including not knowing how to swim, a lack of close supervision, not wearing a life jacket and drinking alcohol while recreating near or in water.

“Don’t hesitate to get out of the water if something doesn’t feel right,” the National Drowning Prevention Alliance said on its website.

“Whether it’s that the current is getting rough, rain has started to fall, or your body is just not responding like you would like it to due to fatigue or muscle cramps, then just leave and return to the water another day. It’s always a good thing to trust your instincts.”

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