ELBERT COUNTY, Ga. — A dad from Lawrenceville died over the weekend at Lake Hartwell after he jumped into the water to rescue his son following a tubing mishap and did not resurface.
Georgia DNR officials said Monday that 45-year-old Constantin Pascal put his boat into neutral and jumped into the water when his son's lifejacket became unfastened.
"While pulling his son on a tube, the father noticed that the child’s life jacket had come unfastened. He immediately put the boat in neutral and jumped into the water from the vessel to assist the child, but the man did not resurface after entering the water," a DNR statement said.
The child was later rescued by a passerby and taken back to the boat ramp.
A search commenced with agencies including DNR Game Wardens, Hart County Fire, Hart County Sheriff's Office, Anderson County S.C. Sheriff's Office Marine Unit and the Elbert County Fire Dive Team.
On Saturday evening, the dive team recovered Pascal's body, DNR said.
