ALEA

An accident involving two personal watercraft in Limestone County has claimed the life of a Tennessee juvenile, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). 

The 17 year-old victim, whom ALEA did not identify owing to his juvenile status, was pronounced dead at a local hospital following the accident, which occurred on Monday, July 7, on the Elk River off of Wheeler Lake near Athens in Limestone County.

Law enforcement said the teen was fatally injured after falling from an inflatable tube being towed behind an 11-foot Sea-Doo personal watercraft. A second 17 year-old, also from Tennessee, was operating the towing vessel at the time of the accident, said ALEA.

After falling from the tube, the victim was struck by a second 10-foot Sea-Doo watercraft operated by 48-year-old Kevin E. Burlison of Pulaski, Tennessee, the agency stated.

ALEA shared no additional information about the incident, citing its ongoing investigation. “Nothing further is available as troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Marine Patrol Division continue to investigate,” the agency said.