Dog jumps off boat into mountain lake and NC man dies trying to save it, officials say

A North Carolina man died Friday while trying to save a dog that jumped off a boat into a Tennessee lake, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

He was identified as 52-year-old Eric Jordan, the agency said in an update.

It happened about 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Big Island area of Watauga Lake, near the North Carolina state line, officials said. The lake covers 10 square miles in the Cherokee National Forest and “is accessible only by winding mountains roads,” according to lakewaguagatn.com.

“Mr. Jordan was a passenger onboard a deck boat that was traveling on the lake when a dog jumped into the water,” the agency said in a press release.

“The boat’s operator slowed the boat down. However, Mr. Jordan voluntarily jumped into the water while the boat was still moving to try and rescue the dog. Mr. Jordan began to struggle but a witness on a nearby houseboat entered the water and pulled him onboard. CPR was administered onboard the boat but was unsuccessful.”

Officials did not say what became of the dog he was trying to save or if it was Jordan’s pet.

Jordan was taken to the nearby Fish Springs Marina where medics with the Carter County Rescue Squad took him to Quillen College of Medicine, officials said. His hometown in North Carolina was not released.

An autopsy is to be performed to see what caused his death.

This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 7:47 AM with the headline "Dog jumps off boat into mountain lake and NC man dies trying to save it, officials say."