A Georgia man drowned while tubing on Lake Allatoona, officials said.



A Georgia man drowned while tubing on Lake Allatoona, officials said.
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A man died after falling off his tube on Lake Allatoona, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.


Game wardens, with help from Cherokee County EMS and sheriff’s deputies, responded at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 9, about a missing person near Little River Marina in Canton, authorities said in a statement.


Investigators learned a group on a rental boat was tubing on the lake when a 40-year-old man fell off his tube. DNR officials said the man wasn’t wearing a life vest and complained of leg pain before he went under.



Multiple people jumped into the lake to try and save the man but had to leave him when he began pulling them down with him, authorities said.


Using SONAR, game wardens and fire rescue crews searched the water in hopes of finding the missing man. Divers recovered his body at 5 p.m. in 16 feet of water, according to Georgia DNR.


He was identified as 40-year-old Robbie Cornelius of Marietta, authorities said.


His body has since been turned over to the county coroner’s office.


Canton is about a 40-mile drive northwest of downtown Atlanta.


Drownings in the U.S.


An estimated 4,000 people die from drowning every year in the U.S., and children are at increased risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Certain factors can 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, the agency said.


Swimmers can take precautions to stay safe in the water, according to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. Safety tips include checking local weather conditions, never swimming alone and choosing the right equipment.


“Don’t hesitate to get out of the water if something doesn’t feel right,” the group 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.