Boat sucked into dam turbines, killing 72-year-old as two others saved, Alabama cops say

A man was killed when his fishing boat was sucked into dam generators and flipped, Alabama authorities said.

A teenager and another adult man were rescued, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Division.

The afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 12, 72-year-old Dennis Neal was on board a 1977 Hurricane fishing boat on Wilson Lake with a 14-year-old and a 44-year-old when the trolling motor failed, authorities said.

The nearby Wheeler Dam’s generators drew the boat in, and it capsized, sending all three into the water without life jackets, according to law enforcement.

Local and state rescuers converged on the scene, and said they found two occupants of the boat between two turbines and rescued them.

Crews found Neal’s body nearby, authorities said. All three people were from Lewisburg, Tennessee.

Boating experts warn vessels to stay away from dams when possible.

“Dangerous currents above the dam can draw boats into water going over or through a dam,” the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission says. “If boaters lose power upstream of a dam or find themselves drifting toward a dam, they should immediately deploy an anchor to hold their position.”

Wilson Lake was formed by two dams on the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama.