Misser Boater Found Dead in Chattahoochee River
Tony Potts
03-09-2010
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources
Division law enforcement officers have recovered the body of Ira
Braitsch,64, of Lawrenceville from the Chattahoochee River in
Suwanee. Braitsch had been missing since Sunday, March 7, 2010
when the aluminum jon boat capsized while he was boating with a
friend, Michael Boyle. Boyle, 67, also of Lawrenceville, was
rescued on Sunday and taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta.
He is currently still in the hospital.
The response and search effort included personnel from the following
agencies: Gwinnett County Fire, Forsyth County Fire, Johns Creek Fire
and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Rescue teams were able
to locate and recover the boat on Sunday about three-quarters of a mile
south of McGinnis Ferry Road. Firefighters and DNR Officers continued
to search and exhaust all resources to find the missing boater,
including utilizing sonar devices provided by Forsyth and Gwinnett water
rescue teams. The search was terminated at approximately 6 p.m. on
Sunday, with the scene turned over to DNR officials.
Department officers returned to the scene and resumed the search for
the missing boater Monday morning. With the aid of a state aviation
helicopter (piloted by a Georgia State Patrol pilot and with spotter DNR
officer Sgt. Mike Burgamy) the victim was located one-quarter of a mile
below Suwannee Creek (mile marker 336), which is approximately three
miles from the original incident scene. The recovery of the victim
concluded at 11:50 am.
According to information from an earlier release by Gwinnett County
Department of Fire and Emergency Services, the boat reportedly struck a
log in the river, causing it to overturn, sending the two men into the
water. A second boater encountered the capsized boat approximately ten
minutes after the incident and saw both men in the water. According to
this witness, one man was with the overturned boat and the second was in
the middle of the water across the river. The witness was able to reach
the man in the river and was attempting to reach the second man at the
overturned boat. Before he could reach him the boat was pulled under
and took the man with it. That was the last contact that he had with
the missing boater.
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