Fisherman rescues man from Allatoona Lake boat crash

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Crews combed through Allatoona Lake for a second day, searching for a missing boater after two boats collided Thursday afternoon.

After the crash near Little River Marina, one boater was rescued, one boater's body was recovered, and one boater is still missing.

"Our guys have been out all day and all night, (doing) pretty well with the sonar equipment, and they are making some progress as far as covering ground, but they have not located him yet," said Mark McKinnon, with the Department of Natural Resources.

Divers recovered the body of James Mills, 51, of Taylorsville, Georgia.

They are still looking for Ronnie Bentley, 66, of Canton, Georgia.

Department of Natural Resources officials said because of  how cold the water is, they have now labeled thier search a recovery mission in order to give the family closure.

"It's a difficult situation. These incidents are so tough because theses guys, they're human too," McKinnon said.

Izzy Davila, 72, had been out fishing on Thursday when he came across debris in the water where the boats had collided.

"So I started looking for bodies. I saw some debris in the water, cushions and things," he said.

He said he then heard a cry for help from a weak, tired voice. A man had been holding on to an upside-down boat in the cold water.

"'Please help. I'm about to lose my grip. I can't hold on any longer' is what he said," Davila said.

Davila helped the survivor get to shore and showed authorities where to search for the others.

Crews on Friday used cadaver dogs, sonar equipment and military grade scanning equipment to search the water. The depth of the lake and the choppy waters made it a tedious process, but one they know has to be done.

"The conditions are kind of tough. There is a lot of wind blowing out there. There's whitecaps that make the boats move around a little bit. But our guys are committed and we want to bring some closure to this family," McKinnon said.

Department of Natural Resources crews will return at 8:00 am Saturday to continue their search.

Cox Media Group