UPDATE: Man Pulled from Allatoona Lake Dies

A man was removed from Allatoona Lake in Bartow County near Allatoona Landing after he apparently had been struck by what might have been his own bass boat.

GA Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Rangers answered an emergency call about a person in the water who was hit by a boat at 10:30 a.m. today, July 7.

DNR Rangers responded along with Bartow Fire and Rescue, Bartow EMS, and the Allatoona Corp of Engineers Rangers, according to the DNR's Mike Barr.  The man was removed from the water by rescue personnel with citizens' assistance. He was not wearing a life jacket.  He was transported by Bartow EMS.

The DNR Rangers found the bass boat circling at full throttle without an operator.  Emergency personnel cleared out the area to avoid the unmanned boat hitting another vessel or person. It took more than 15 minutes for the unmanned boat to run out of gas.

The DNR Critical Incident Reconstruction Team is investigating the incident.

According to the DNR's Barr, life jacket use is mandatory for children under the age of 13 while a vessel is in motion, and a good idea for use by adults.  The DRN also recommends an ignition lanyard stop switch, which is attached to the operator and automatically stops the engine, as a good safety device for boat operators to use.