Search resumes for man who fell into Waccamaw River in Pawleys Island

The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help from several local agencies in finding a dock worker who fell into the Waccamaw River last week.

Rescue workers near Pawleys Island continued their search Monday for a man who fell into the river while working on a floating dock in the Hagley Estates neighborhood on Nov. 23.

The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, along with Midway Fire and Rescue and the U.S. Coast Guard, have had several boats in the water since last week searching for the missing man, identified only as a 53-year-old male from Charleston.

Georgetown officials requested assistance Monday from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to continue with the search, according to Carrie Cuthbertson, with the sheriff’s office.

Police are also asking the public, boating along the Waccamaw River near Hagley Estates, to keep a lookout for the missing man, Cuthbertson said.

A second man working on the dock was rescued by a neighbor who heard their calls for help. The rescued man said he saw his co-worker waving and shouting before going under the water, and that he never resurfaced, according to an incident report.

The two men were on a floating dock that was not secured to the stationary dock on which they were working. The floating dock was pulled away by the strong current, and when both men tried to hold it to the stationary dock, they fell into the water, authorities said.

This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 3:11 PM with the headline "Search resumes for man who fell into Waccamaw River in Pawleys Island."