Man Slips on Dock at Lake Lanier and Dies One Week After Last Drowning – Making Today One of the Most Deadliest Times In the Manmade Body of Water’s 70-Year History
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Another person has died by drowning at Georgia’s Lake Lanier, making the eighth death in the body of water over the last eight months.
The 23-year-old victim slipped into the lake while running on the dock, to never resurface alive again — exactly a week after another person died.
The Department of Natural Resources reports a call came in regarding the accident at the Holiday Marina on Saturday, Sept. 2, around 10:30 p.m., according to Fox 5.
After calling for first responders to look for him, the Hall County Fire Rescue pulled Gavrie Alexander’s lifeless body, having located it 17 feet below the water. Lake Lanier, a manmade body of water, is the largest lake in the state. Construction on the lake started in 1950.
Just a week prior, on Aug. 26, Edgar Steven Cruz Martinez, 23, lost his life at the lake after taking a dip. His body was located 10 feet below water.
One month earlier, on July 31, two men drowned while swimming. One of them was identified as 61-year-old Tracey Stewart by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. He reportedly jumped into the water for a swim from a boat but didn’t come back up. Authorities later found him in water that was 46 feet deep.
On the same night, 27-year-old Leonardo Martinez, who was also swimming from a boat in the lake, sank deep into the water and didn’t come back up. A search for this person’s remains is still active.
Earlier that week, on July 27, another person died while swimming. Thomas Milner, aged 24, jumped from the dock into the water and lost his life after being shocked by the electric currents in the water, WSB-TV reported.
Between 1994 and 2022, over 200 people have died at the lake. In 2018 and 2019, there were eight drownings each year. In 2020, there were seven drownings; in 2021, four; and in 2022, a total of six, according to USA Today.
Established in the late 19th century, Oscarville thrived as a self-sustaining community with its own schools, churches, and businesses. In 1912, a white woman was found dead in the woods near Oscarville, presumably after being raped, leading a white mob to attack the community with firebombs, destroying property and driving residents out.
Construction on Lake Lanier started in 1950.
Many people have expressed outrage that the lake has remained open as is after its history of fatalities. One of the loudest protesters is celebrity stylist and ex-wife of singer Usher, Tameka Foster.
Foster started a petition on Change.org to have the lake cleaned after the first four deaths of the year. The appeal, launched on May 30, includes the wording to “drain, clean, restore, and improve safety measures” at Lake Lanier.
The influencer, who has 176,000 followers on Instagram, has an intimate connection to the lake and its dangers. Her son, 11-year-old Kile Glover, lost his life in what she calls “an avoidable JetSki incident” in 2012.
She explained the Department of Natural Resources testified in court regarding her son’s death, noting that the offender should have been cited but did not take swift action to hold him accountable.
Foster also alleged that the lake is reported as Georgia’s most polluted and ranks among the top 10 most polluted in the United States.
Over the last five months, Foster has gotten 8,205 signatures. Her goal is 10,000.
