Second Fisherman's Body Found After Lake Lanier Accident

CUMMING, GA — A few days after two men went missing during a boating accident on Lake Lanier, both men's bodies have now been found, according to authorities.

The body of boat passenger Edward Schimweg, 38-years-old, of Cumming, was found Saturday afternoon around 6:30 p.m., according to Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mark McKinnon who told the AJC. "Schimweg’s body was discovered about 50 feet away from the site of Wednesday’s crash," McKinnon said to the paper. "DNR officials used a sector scan sonar to search the 54-foot deep water in that area."

The body of boat operator Brianislav Prazich, 55, of Cumming, was found by divers Thursday, May 9 in about 33-feet of water near the crash site of Bald Ridge Creek near Little Ridge Park, McKinnon told the AJC.

Prazich, who was operating the bass boat, was one of two men who went missing Wednesday night after the fishing boat they were on collided with a cruiser on the lake.

The bass boat collided Wednesday night with a cruiser that had three people on board: Scott Butler, 55, of Atlanta who was operating the cruiser; Amy R. Butler, 19, of Atlanta; and Abigail Suzman, 18, of Scarsdale, N.Y., the DNR told the Forsyth County News.
Scott Butler was taken to North Fulton Hospital for chest pain and upper extremity injuries, while the two women had minor injuries.

The cause of the accident is under investigation by the DNR's Critical Incident Response Team, which is expected to take 6-8 weeks, the DNR told the FCN.