Canoe fatality on the Chattooga

The body of a 64-year old man was pulled from the Chattooga River last night about an hour and a half after a canoe apparently tipped over. Coroner Karl Addis says the death of the Madison, Georgia man is suspected drowning. The decedent’s name is to be released today. Meantime, a post-mortem exam has been ordered to help with the death investigation. Here’s is the coroner’s account of what happened: “The incident occurred at approximately 5:40 pm; this subject, a friend and his son, were canoeing on the river. As they approached Sandy Ford, this subject’s canoe apparently overturned; his friend who was down river, looked back and observed this subject apparently floating in the river in no apparent distress. This subject’s canoe went floating down the river and was retrieved by his friend. This subject was then not observed. He was discovered a short time later; it appeared his legs became entangled in an undercut of rock in the river; the current had pushed him underwater….”