Fishing turns deadly when ‘fun-loving’ dad, son fall into frigid TN lake, officials say
_fitted.png "Jeremy Keen loved music, fishing and camping, his obituary said.")
A father-son fishing trip turned deadly when a dad and teenager fell out of their boat into freezing water, Tennessee officials say.
Jeremy Gene Keen and his 14-year-old son were fishing on Cherokee Lake the morning of Dec. 31 when Keen, 47, fell from a small aluminum boat into the water, according to a news release from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The lake was about 36 degrees at the time.
Keen’s son then entered the water and held on to his father while the boat continued to circle them, the agency said. That’s when a nearby fisherman spotted the two and pulled them from the water. Neither was wearing a life jacket, according to officials.
Wildlife officers said Keen died, and his son was transported to Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System to be treated for cold water exposure.
Keen, a husband and father of two, will be remembered as “a fun-loving people person, who loved to share laughter and conversation with anyone,” according to his obituary. He loved music, camping and fishing.
“Although he passed from a medical emergency on the water, Jeremy was doing exactly what he loved to do… fishing Cherokee Lake with his son,” his obituary said.
Cherokee Lake is about 200 miles east of Nashville.
This story was originally published January 4, 2023 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Fishing turns deadly when ‘fun-loving’ dad, son fall into frigid TN lake, officials say."
