35-year-old man drowns in lake after sharp turn ejects him from boat, NC officials say

A 35-year-old man drowned when he made a sharp turn and was thrown from the boat he was driving, North Carolina officials said.

The man, Terry Joshua Fowler, was driving his boat on Lake Hickory in Hickory, North Carolina, with one male passenger at around 3:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 21, officer Jon Kiger with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission told McClatchy News.

Hickory is about 58 miles northwest of Charlotte. Lake Hickory is a 4,200-acre lake with more than 105 miles of shoreline.

The men were returning from a friend’s house farther up the channel, Kiger said. The boat had a tendency to pull hard to the left, so when Fowler made a left-hand turn, he lost control of the vessel and both men were thrown from the right side of the boat.

Fowler, who was not wearing a life jacket, drowned, Kiger said. The passenger, who was wearing a life jacket, survived.

Rescuers recovered Fowler’s body in about 13 feet of water, Kiger said.

Friends and loved ones on Facebook said Fowler, who went by Josh, was a “kind and wonderful person.”

“Josh was such a nice guy and our trusted mechanic,” Lisa Faust Mikeal wrote in a comment on a Facebook post about Fowler’s death. “Prayers lifted for comfort and strength for his family and friends.”

“Josh was a good guy,” Crystal Smith Andes wrote in another Facebook comment. “Always nice and ready to help where he could. This is a sad day.”

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commissions published a statement on May 19 to announce National Safe Boating Week and emphasize why life jackets should be worn on the water. Last year, 23 people died on the water in North Carolina, 16 of whom were not wearing life jackets, according to the agency.

“We cannot stress how important it is for you to wear a personal flotation device, or PFD, while boating, whether it be recreating, swimming or fishing,” Capt. Branden Jones of the Wildlife Commission said in the statement. “PFDs save lives, but they won’t work if you don’t wear them.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2022 at 4:01 PM with the headline "35-year-old man drowns in lake after sharp turn ejects him from boat, NC officials say."