LAUDERDALE COUNTY – A marine-related event that occurred at approximately 2 p.m. Saturday, October 12, has claimed the life of a Lewisburg, Tenn., man. Dennis Neal, 72, drowned after the 1977 Hurricane fishing boat that he was onboard overturned. Neal, Timothy Hazelwood, 44, and a 14-year-old all of Lewisburg, Tenn., were onboard the 1977 Hurricane fishing boat near the Wheeler Dam on Wilson Lake in Lauderdale County when the vessel’s trolling motor failed. As a result, the vessel was drawn into the Dam’s generators causing the vessel to overturn.
Neal, Hazelwood and the 14-year-old were all thrown overboard; however, none were wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) at the time the vessel capsized. A Trooper with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Marine Patrol Division along with members of the Killen Fire Department immediately responded to the scene and were able to retrieve Hazelwood and the teen, who were both found in-between two of the Dam’s turbines. A search was then conducted, and Neal’s body was recovered near the location in which Hazelwood and the teen were rescued.
The following agencies responded and assisted with the rescue and recovery operations: the Killen Fire Department, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Lawrence County Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Lawrence County Coroner, Red Bank Fire Department, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DNCR) State Park Rangers from Wheeler Lake along with ALEA Marine Patrol Troopers. Nothing further is available as ALEA Marine Patrol Troopers continue to investigate.
Media Release/Lieutenant Jeremy J. Burkett/Administrative Bureau Director/Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
