GA Man Pat Ramsey ID’d As Boater Found Dead Friday On Lake Allatoona

BARTOW COUNTY, GA. (THECOUNT) — Georgia man, Patrick “Pat” Ramsey, died Friday night after his bass boat struck a breakwater on Lake Allatoona, Georgia Department of Natural Resources game wardens reported. Ramsey of Dallas, was found deceased alongside his vessel near the breakwater structure at Allatoona Landing in Bartow County. He was the only occupant of the boat.

Ramsey was 63 years old.

According to Georgia DNR, game wardens were dispatched to Allatoona Landing at approximately 9:25 p.m. on April 25. Upon arrival, wardens located the bass boat resting along the breakwater with Ramsey deceased. With the assistance of the Bartow County Fire Department, wardens transported Ramsey’s body to shore, where the Bartow County Coroner’s Office took custody. The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Ramsey was the vessel’s sole occupant.

The incident remains under investigation by Georgia DNR game wardens.

Investigators believe the bass boat struck a breakwater — a long, fixed structure typically constructed from rock or concrete that is built to deflect or reduce wave action and provide calmer water near boat ramps, marinas, and landings. Allatoona Landing, where the incident occurred, is a developed boat access area on the western shore of Lake Allatoona. After dark, breakwaters and other fixed structures on the lake can be difficult to see from a moving vessel, particularly in low-light or no-light conditions.

Lake Allatoona is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Etowah River in northwest Georgia, formed by Allatoona Dam approximately 30 miles north of Atlanta. The lake spans approximately 11,860 acres and has roughly 270 miles of shoreline across portions of Bartow, Cherokee, and Cobb counties. It is one of the most heavily used recreational lakes in Georgia, attracting millions of visitors annually for boating, fishing, camping, and swimming. The lake is a known bass fishing destination and draws competitive bass anglers from across the southeastern United States.

Bartow County, where Allatoona Landing is located, is in northwest Georgia in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The county seat is Cartersville, situated approximately 40 miles northwest of Atlanta along Interstate 75. Bartow County had a population of approximately 119,000 as of the 2020 census and encompasses a significant portion of Lake Allatoona’s western and northern shores.

Dallas, where Ramsey resided, is the county seat of Paulding County — directly south of Bartow County — approximately 35 miles northwest of Atlanta. Paulding County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Georgia, with a population of approximately 168,000 as of the 2020 census. Dallas is a gateway community to Lake Allatoona for Paulding County residents, many of whom use the lake’s Bartow County ramps and landings including Allatoona Landing for recreational boating access.

Georgia DNR’s Law Enforcement Division, through its game warden network, is responsible for investigating all boating fatalities on Georgia’s public waterways. Game wardens from the DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division patrol Lake Allatoona year-round and respond to boating incidents on the reservoir. DNR has not released information on whether Ramsey was wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident.

The Georgia DNR urges all boaters to wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, use engine cut-off switches, and avoid operating vessels after dark without proper navigation lighting. Boating under the influence is a criminal offense in Georgia and is a factor that wardens investigate in all fatal boating incidents.

The approximate location of the incident at Allatoona Landing on Lake Allatoona in Bartow County can be viewed on Google Maps.

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