TWRA NEWS

CONTACT: Mme Barnes

mime.barnes@tn.gov
464 Industrial Blvd.
Crossville, TN 38555
Nashville, Tennessee 37204
931-484-9571
Fax: (931) 456-1025
1-800-262-6704
Web Page: www.tnwildlife.org
Hearing Impaired TDD#(615)781-6691

June 8, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fatality at Lake Junior

Crossville, TN --Mr. Robert Perry of Hamilton County, died yesterday at Lake Junior, a
small impoundment near Chickamauga Dam. Fifty-three year old Perry and a friend had set out
kayaking shortly after 5:00 p.m. The two left the shore, paddling in different directions, but when
the friend looked back, hed found Perrys kayak turned and no sign of Perry. The friend
searched the area and quickly called 911.
Chattanooga firefighters and police were the first to arrive on the scene. Officers with the
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and Tennessee Valley Authority arrived a short
time later. Battalion Chief Rick Boatwright called for water rescue assistance, bringing in the
Hamilton County Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS) and Hamilton County Sheriff's
Department (HCSO). Perrys body was recovered around 8:00 p.m. in six and a half feet of water
near the location of the kayak. Perry, pronounced dead at the scene, was not wearing a personal
floatation device. Family members were notified and Perrys body was transported by Hamilton
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County EMS to the Hamilton County Medical Examiners Office, where the cause of death will
be confirmed.
TWRA reminds all Tennesseans of the importance of wearing personal floatation devices.
For more information on boating safety in Tennessee visit:
http://www.tn.gov/twra/section/boating.
--TWRA--

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