Tennessee father and son killed when jet ski crashes into barge on lake near Nashville

A man and his 9-year-old son died after their jet ski collided with a barge on a lake in Cheatham County, Tennessee on Saturday night, officials said.

A preliminary investigation revealed that 36-year-old Steven White died after his personal jet ski struck a barge being towed on Cheatham Lake around 7:30 p.m., according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. White's 9-year-old son was also on board with his dad. Cheatham Lake is located 36 miles northwest of Nashville.

How the accident unfolded

The accident took place as a barge was being pushed by a Hines Furlong tow boat near the Cheatham Dam Campground on Saturday evening. Officials first received a call around 7:45 p.m. that a jet ski had struck the barge.

A tow boat operator activated an alarm and deckhands launched a vessel into the water to help White and his son. White was taken to shore at the campground boat launch and was later pronounced dead, per TWRA. Both White and his sons were wearing lifejackets, officials said.

Officials searched for the child through the night till 1 a.m., and a full-scale search involving multiple agencies resumed again at 8 a.m. Sunday. The boy's body was found Sunday evening.

The Cheatham County Sheriff Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Army Corps of Engineers and the United States Coast Guard all participated in the rescue operation. TWRA investigators utilized a remote operated vehicle (ROV) to search under the barges and several cadaver dogs were used to identify search locations.

This accident increases the total number of boating related fatalities in Tennessee for 2023 to 22, said TWRA.

Contributing: Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY

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