A 79-year-old man drowned Sunday afternoon while fishing in Wolf Lake after his boat was overturned by the wake of a passing pleasure boat.
Bunny Albert Fields was fishing with a friend in a 12-foot aluminum boat when the accident occurred. His friend was able to make it to the shore safely, but Fields could not swim. Fields attempted to hold on to the boat, but he was unable to stay afloat.
“Witnesses saw a larger boat come through, leaving such a wake that it capsized the boat the victim was in,” said Terry Gann, chief investigator with the Yazoo County Sheriff’s Department.
Fields’ friend was able to swim to shore, but Fields could not swim.
Yazoo County Coroner Ricky Shivers said that Fields was not wearing a flotation device.
Fields’ body was later recovered by the Yazoo County Dive Team. Shivers said that divers were able to locate Fields using sonar equipment.
Gann urges boaters to always wear a flotation device and to be aware of smaller boats.
“Be courteous of smaller boats when you meet them,” Gann said. “Slow down to a no-wake speed. And always wear a life jacket. I am an experiences swimmer and help with rescues, but I always wear a life jacket on the water.”
The incident is under investigation by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
