NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A man who died trying to save a child from drowning in the Chattahoochee River couldn’t swim, officials were told.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office identified him as 59-year-old Frank Young.
This incident has people at Garrard Landing Park, where it took place, urging people to always use a life vest.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
It’s a place where so many people come to enjoy the water and the outdoors.
Katherine Coppedge, a boater at the park Thursday, recommended anyone getting into water for recreation wear a life vest, even if they can swim. Coppedge and her family spend time in the river at the park about once a month.
“It’s just incredibly unfortunate and unforeseen,” she told Channel 2’s Tom Jones. “But again, take all the precautions you can. Wear a life vest.”
A 4-year-old child was struggling in the water Wednesday evening. A 14-year-old told Roswell police that it was his sister who fell into the river, and she couldn’t swim.
Their mother jumped into save her, but she also couldn’t swim. That’s when Young jumped in.
He got the child and her mother to the shore, but he began to struggle and went under.
Roswell Fire pulled his body from the water about an hour later.
Coppedge says the water in the river here is cold all year, and that could pose a problem.
“You can get hypothermic in less than 30 minutes, so if you’re in this water you’re going to struggle to stay afloat and to swim, because the water is so cold.”
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
