74-year-old fisherman falls into SC lake and grandson jumps in after him, coroner says
A 74-year-old man was on a fishing trip when he lost his balance and fell into a South Carolina lake, officials said.
Thomas Earl Benenhaley’s grandson — an Iraq War veteran — jumped into the water after his grandfather and brought him to shore “several” minutes later, the Darlington County Coroner’s Office told multiple news outlets.
But “all attempts to resuscitate him failed,” and Benenhaley was pronounced dead at about 8 a.m. Tuesday, scnow.com reported. Coroner J. Todd Hardee ruled the 74-year-old’s death as an accidental drowning.
Benenhaley was on an early morning fishing trip with his grandson when officials said the two launched their boat Tuesday. Shortly after, the grandfather ended up in the water near Mechanicsville, roughly 75 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach, WMBF reported.
Officials told WBTW an autopsy was set for later this week.
The Darlington County Corner’s Office didn’t immediately respond to an email from McClatchy News, and a phone call went unanswered Wednesday morning.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 8:32 AM with the headline "74-year-old fisherman falls into SC lake and grandson jumps in after him, coroner says."
