POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Polk County Sheriff's Office said two men in a small boat capsized on Wednesday afternoon leaving one man dead.
PCSO said the two men were fishing in a small aluminum boat on a lake near Mulberry when the boat capsized on Wednesday afternoon around 4:37 p.m.
According to PCSO, two men were in the canoe and one man was able to swim to shore. Deputies said the other man was found dead around 8:50 p.m.
The deceased man was identified as Bruce Morgan, 62. The other man, William Franklin, 50, told deputies he tried to help Morgan but became tangled in underwater vegetation.
“This is such a tragedy…our prayers are with Mr. Morgan’s family and friends," Sheriff Grady Judd said. "What makes this drowning more tragic is that it could have been avoided with the required safety equipment such as life jackets or floatation devices. I cannot stress enough how important it is for each person on a watercraft to have some sort of safety equipment to help keep them afloat in situations like this.”
The boat was found in 12 feet of water about 50 yards from the shore. Morgan was found 20 yards from the shore in nine feet of water, authorities said.
