Girl, 4, among 19 deaths on Georgia’s roads, waterways during holiday weekend

Two people later fell off a boat on Lake Sinclair while navigating a turn that afternoon. The operator was picked up by a nearby vessel, while the passenger was recovered by a Baldwin County dive team two days later, the DNR said.

That night, a 4-year-old girl went into the water on Lake Oconee when a pontoon boat overturned with 12 people aboard. Officials said a large wave came over the front of the boat, which led passengers to rush toward the back of the vessel, causing it to capsize.

The girl, who was wearing a personal flotation device, was pulled out of the water by a former lifeguard in Putnam County, the DNR said. She was taken to a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta location, where she died Saturday night, the county coroner’s office said. A GoFundMe page identified her as Tilly Roache of Lithonia.

“Tilly was full of light — her sweet and innocent laughter could brighten any room, and her kind spirit touched everyone who met her,“ her family wrote. ”She loved dancing, princesses and all things Spiderman. Her sudden passing has left her family, friends and community in deep shock and heartbreak — especially her mother, Tiffany, who is now facing the unbearable pain no parent should ever have to endure."

Independence Day also saw 14 people injured in separate boat explosions on Lake Lanier and Lake Nottely in Union County.

Seven people, ranging in age from 5 to 45, suffered second- and third-degree burns during the incident on Lanier after a boat caught on fire. In the second incident, seven people were taken to the hospital for “burns of varying degrees” after the vessel exploded when passengers tried to re-crank the engine, according to the DNR.

Credit: GoFundMe

Credit: GoFundMe

On Saturday, a 15-year-old boy drowned after going under the water at the kayak launch on the Ocmulgee River in Jasper County, according to the DNR. Game wardens found his body that night using sonar. The county coroner said he couldn’t share the teen’s name.

Another drowning happened around 9 p.m. on West Point Lake, where a 21-year-old man was swimming at the dock and did not resurface. He was recovered in about 15 feet of water by the Troup County dive team, the DNR confirmed.

A separate boating accident happened Saturday on West Point Lake, where a 62-year-old man became unresponsive after water skiing in Wehadkee Creek, officials said. He was taken to Wellstar Hospital in LaGrange, where he died, according to the DNR.

On Georgia’s roads, 13 people were killed in crashes from Thursday night to late Sunday, according to the state Department of Public Safety. State Patrol troopers investigated eight fatal crashes, while local law enforcement agencies looked into five others.

Two people were killed in a crash Saturday in Hall County. Other deadly wrecks happened in South Fulton, Paulding County, Crisp County, Jones County and Burke County, the DPS said.

Troopers also reported that at least 135 travelers were injured in crashes, and there were more than 490 cases of people driving under the influence. In Jasper County, the GSP said one driver pulled into a gas station beside four troopers while actively driving under the influence.

“The July 4th holiday travel period has come to an end, and troopers across the state remained vigilant to keep Georgia’s roadways safe,” the DPS said.

During the Independence Day holiday period in 2024, 18 people died on Georgia’s roads, and two others were killed on state waterways.

From 2019 to 2023, 2,653 people were killed in traffic crashes over the Fourth of July holiday periods nationwide, and 40% of the drivers killed were drunk, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.