TWRA reports fatal drowning at Madison County lake

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — There was a fatal drowning at Lake Graham in Madison County on Thursday.

According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, around 3 p.m., they received a call that a man had fallen in the water near the bank.

Witnesses at the scene said that the man fell off of a small dock. They also said when first responders first got there, they brought him to the bank and began attempting to resuscitate the victim.

Aaron O’Kelley and his mother arrived on the scene shortly after first responders pulled the man’s body on shore.

“When we got here and just right when we got out of the car, it looked like a fire truck was pulling up to respond to some kind of emergency situation. I saw first responders get out and they were, apparently from my vantage point, it looked like they were doing CPR,” O’Kelley said.

Unfortunately, first responders were not able to revive the individual.

“We could tell that they were in a hurry at first, then I think I saw them load someone into the ambulance. But then it seemed like the rush, the urgency was gone,” O’Kelley said.

After being placed in the ambulance, law enforcement investigators were seen searching through the victim’s vehicle.

What they were searching for is not known at this time. They could also be seen gathering the victims belongings, such as fishing poles and tackleboxes.

The TWRA says that this is the 15th fatal drowning in 2023 in Tennessee.

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