A 21-year-old Greensboro man drowned in Lake Norman Saturday night after rushing to save his sister when her kayak capsized near a residential dock, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Dorian Jackson went under while trying to pull his sister onto his own kayak and never resurfaced, officials said. His sister, who was wearing a life jacket, was brought safely to shore by neighbors.
Wildlife officers responded to the boating incident around 7 p.m. Saturday near Hearthstone Court in Terrell, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. As reported by WBTV, Jackson's sister capsized her kayak roughly 30 yards from a nearby home's dock and was struggling in the water when he rushed over to help.
Jackson was not wearing a life jacket during the rescue attempt, officials said. He went under while trying to lift his sister onto his kayak and did not come back up. Neighbors managed to get his sister to shore safely, while multiple agencies joined the search for Jackson. Wildlife officers recovered his body around 1 p.m. Sunday.
A Difference a Life Jacket Made
The outcome for the two siblings diverged sharply based on one piece of equipment. Jackson's sister survived because she was wearing a life jacket, while Jackson himself submerged quickly after attempting to assist her onto his kayak, per the same account referenced by WCNC. Under North Carolina boating regulations, boats must carry at least one wearable, Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device per person aboard, although racing shells, racing canoes, and racing kayaks are exempt, and children under 13 must wear one while underway — but the law does not require adults over 13 to wear one continuously, according to Ace Boater.
Drowning accounts for 75 percent of all recreational boating fatalities nationwide, and 87 percent of those drowning victims were not wearing a life jacket, according to U.S. Coast Guard data reported by Carolina Country.
A Lake Known for Deep, Deceptive Water
Lake Norman touches Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln, and Mecklenburg counties.
A North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services report identified Iredell and Mecklenburg counties, both bordering Lake Norman, among the top counties statewide for total boating-related injury deaths, according to the North Carolina Division of Public Health.
Local Crews Familiar With the Danger
Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire & Rescue, which covers more than 30 square miles and provides services to more than 117 miles of shoreline in Catawba County, operates a specialized 28-foot fire and rescue boat equipped with twin 350-horsepower engines, forward-looking infrared thermal sensors, and a hydraulic bow door built for lake rescue operations, according to HydroHoist. The department knows the risks of these searches firsthand. In June 2016, 28-year-old rescue diver Capt. Bradley Long died during a deep-water recovery search for a missing swimmer on Lake Norman, as reported by Firehouse Magazine.
