From The Tribune staff reports
GADSDEN — The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Marine Patrol Division is investigating the death of a Jefferson County man on Neely Henry Lake, in Gadsden.
Benjamin Dale Owens, 35, of Pinson, was killed when the towable tube he was riding on behind a boat struck a concrete bridge support. An 11-year-old child was also injured.
The child was taken to Children’s of Alabama for treatment. There is no word on the condition of the child.
The accident happened around 5:12 p.m. on Saturday, May 22, 2021.
The bridge support that the tube hit was on the Interstate 759 bridge in Etowah County.
The death happened on the first day of the ALEA’s Marine Patrol Division’s boating safety campaign. The campaign began on Saturday, May 22, and will run until Friday, May 28, leading up to Memorial Day weekend. The purpose is to spread awareness about boating safety and prevent water fatalities.