A 6-year-old boy bravely swam to shore to seek help after his father fell from a boat and later died in South Carolina, authorities reported.
The outing, meant to be a father-and-son bonding experience, ended in tragedy.
On the evening of Sunday, Sept. 28, Leron Lee Williams was on a small boat with his child on a farm pond in Blacksburg, near Jones Street, according to a statement from the Cherokee County Coroner’s Office. The boy later told investigators that he and his father were attempting to change seats when Williams fell into the water and did not resurface.
“The boy jumped out of the boat and swam to shore to summon help,” Coroner Dennis Fowler said. Rescue teams from the CKC Fire Department retrieved the 34-year-old man from the approximately six-foot-deep pond at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Williams was pronounced dead at the scene. He had not been wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.
Williams lived in Gaffney, less than 10 miles from the pond, a small city about 55 miles northeast of Greenville. An autopsy is planned to help confirm the cause of death.
According to the coroner, “Sunday’s drowning was the first for Cherokee County this year.”
