WYLIE — Two friends set out for a fishing trip on Lake Lavon Tuesday when high winds separated them from their boat as they tried to launch.
Wylie Fire Chief Randy Corbin said the weather conditions at Little Ridge Park conspired against them.
"Their boat got away from them," he said. "One man went back to shore the other went after the boat. He went down."
The 58-year-old victim was weighted down by his jeans and could not swim back. His friend frantically searched for him for 15 minutes, then gave up and called 911.
Dive teams arrived within 11 minutes, but it was too late.
Neither man was wearing a life vest. Family members arrived just as the victim's body was found.
The chief said it served as a tragic reminder of what happens when people do not wear life vests on the lake. He encourages everyone to wear a life preserver as the Memorial Day Weekend approaches.
"No one had drowned out here wearing a life vest," Corbin said.
E-mail rlopez@wfaa.com
