Two Injured in Boating Accident on Georgia Side of Hartwell Lake

Two people were injured on Lake Hartwell on the Georgia side over the Labor Day holiday weekend.

According to Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Officer Craig Fulghum, it happened Sunday in Hartwell.  Fulghum said two boats collided near the Hartwell Marina.  Debris from the accident caused two people to suffer minor injuries.

Fulghum said both victims were taken to the hospital where they were treated for their injuries and released.
One person was charged with Boating Under the Influence.  The names of the victims have not been released.

On the South Carolina side, a woman is charged in the death of two children while boating on Lake Hartwell.

Authorities say 52-year old Dawn Thompson of Easley, is charged with DUI with a water device resulting in death.

According to a report on WYFF TV, authorities say Thompson’s boat was returning from a day on Party Island and was pulling into the dock near Apple Island at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday night when it sank.

Seven adults and five children were on the boat.

Authorities say the boat was a 19-foot Hurricane deck boat, similar to a pontoon boat, except it has a hull.

A 9-year old boy, identified as Christian Henderson,was in cardiac arrest when a family member pulled him from the water, officials said.  He was airlifted to a local hospital but died a short time later.

Crews at the dock then spent the next few hours searching for a missing 5-month-old baby.

The body of the baby was found just after midnight Monday at the bottom of the lake in about 20-feet of water near the dock.

According to South Carolina law, all boats are required to have life jackets on board, but Riley said because of the size of the boat, the children were not required to wear life jackets.