LAKE MURRAY SHORES, S.C. — A boating accident on Lake Murray has claimed the life of a college student who was preparing for a fishing tournament.
Johnathan Brian, 21, from Shelbyville, Kentucky, died Tuesday from injuries suffered in a collision on Lake Murray. He was part of a fishing team from Western Kentucky University, participating in a college tournament.
Wednesday, Western Kentucky University issued a statement expressing condolences. "Our thoughts are with Johnathan Brian's family, loved ones and friends, and we extend our deepest condolences to them," the school said. "His fishing partner was also injured in the accident, and we wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to his return to campus."
The collision involved two boats and sent three people to the hospital. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is continuing to investigate.
Rick Khan, owner and operator of TowBoatUS Lake Murray, shed light on the challenges rescue teams face amidst the lake's unpredictable conditions.
"We're like AAA on the water; we are not first responders. We go out for fuel drops, battery jump starts, and mechanical failures," Khan said.
He said that while they didn't respond to this particular crash, they were there to help.
"Typically we get a call from the boat operator either directly or through a dispatch service, stating where he is and what type of service he needs assistance with," Khan adds.
Captain Khan stressed the importance of monitoring weather conditions before embarking on a boating excursion.
"Weather is unpredictable, and it needs to be kept an eye on when out in the water," he said.
Remarkably, Khan's team had canceled training on the day of the accident due to adverse weather conditions.
"We happened to be out down by the other end of the lake near Susie Ebert. We were supposed to have conducted training that morning, and we determined, when we got on the water, that the fog at that particular location was too dense to perform training, so we decided, discretion to not go out, the big problem is that fog can be dense in one part of the lake and sunny blue-skied on the other side," he said.
Khan outlined their safety protocols, indicating that they exclusively deploy boats equipped with radars in poor conditions.
"We go at a much greatly reduced speed only dictated by the limitations of the visibility," he said.
The investigation into the circumstances leading to the accident is ongoing. News19 has requested an incident report from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).