Atlanta

Usher’s ex-wife pushing to make Lake Lanier ‘a safer place’ after son killed by Jet Ski

ATLANTA — A well-known metro celebrity fashion designer says every time there’s another death on Lake Lanier she thinks about her son.

He was killed after an accident on the water.

She is now proposing the lake be drained and cleaned up to make it safer.

Tameka Foster has started a petition on Change.org. She told Channel 2′s Tom Jones that she wants the lake drained and other safety measures because she says too many people are dying there -- including her son Kile.

Foster said her 11-year-old son wasn’t the adventurous type, so she was surprised he got on an inner tube and was in the water at Lake Lanier back in 2012.

“I’m not saying drain the lake, dry it out for it never to return. I’m saying you need to clean it, to restore it and make it a safer place,” Foster said.

She believes debris at the bottom of the lake contributes to some of the deadly accidents that take place there.

She also wants boaters and Jet Skiers in one area, and tubers and swimmers in another.

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“If you’re on a high-powered Jet Ski you shouldn’t be where the swimmers and the tubers are,” Foster said.

The Department of Natural Resources told Jones there are prohibited boating areas and no wake zones to slow boaters down in some areas.

Foster has heard from those who say draining the lake makes no sense. She said she is unbothered by the naysayers.

“I don’t truly have anything to gain, you understand. I can’t bring my son back,” Foster said.

Jones asked for a comment from DNR on Foster’s claims. It said he should contact the Army Corps of Engineers who are in charge of the lake.

Jones reached out and is still waiting on a response.

DNR has said there are more people on the water at Lake Lanier and people need to practice safety at all times.

As of Friday night, more than 3,000 people have signed the petition.

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