Thursday, April 18, 2024
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Gainesboro Man Presumed Dead After Jet Ski Accident

A 52-year-old Gainesboro man is presumably dead following a jet ski accident at the Dale Hollow Reservoir Wednesday.

Clay County EMA Director Natalie Boone said two witnesses saw the man crash but didn’t resurface after hitting the water.

“The story that we got from the witnesses who were with him stated that he hit a wave from another boat that had come through,” Boone said. “He hit that wave and it threw him off.”

According to witnesses, the man was wearing a life jacket until it fell off moments before the accident occurred.

Boone said although the man is listed as missing, the search has turned into a recovery mission.

“We searched until dark last night and then went back out this morning,” Boone said. “Weather permitting, we’ll go back out tomorrow. But if the weather doesn’t cooperate, it looks like it’ll be Saturday, and then we’re going to try and get some mutual aid from surroundings counties.”

Boone said the current search area is approximately 135 feet deep. The TWRA and sonar technology will be used in the search if needed.

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