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Divers Recover Body of Angler from Damariscotta Lake

June 24, 2009 - JEFFERSON -- The body of a Massachusetts man was recovered Monday morning after his canoe capsized Sunday night on Damariscotta Lake, officials said.

Victor Hardmon, 20, of Norton died sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning after the canoe in which he and a friend were standing capsized.

Maine Warden Service divers launched a search for Hardmon after the canoe tipped Sunday night but had to suspend their search until Monday morning.

Hardmon's body was recovered in 20 feet of water about 100 yards from the shoreline at 9:30 a.m. Monday, said Deborah Turcotte, a spokeswoman for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Hardmon and a friend, Brian James Malvey, 20, of Auburn, Mass., were fishing at 7:30 Sunday evening when their canoe capsized near the Bunker Hill Road boat launch, officials said.

The men were standing up in the canoe without life jackets, Turcotte said.

Malvey and a dog in the canoe made it to shore safely, then Malvey returned to the area to search for Hardmon. Malvey did not require any medical treatment, authorities said.

Sunday night was brisk. Air temperatures were in the high 50s to low 60s, with clouds and some rain. The Maine Warden Service said the water temperature in Damariscotta Lake was about 65 degrees Sunday evening.

Turcotte said Hardmon's and Malvey's conduct is not recommended.

"They were standing in the canoe, which is inadvisable," she said. "Both gentlemen are of a bigger stature. That, plus wind that was in the area, more than likely led to the canoe capsizing."

Turcotte said the incident is still under investigation, and an official cause of death has not been released. Sgt. Mark Warren from the Maine Warden Service said alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

Hardmon is the second man in less than two weeks to die in a boating accident in which life jackets were not worn.

Jared Peterson, 23, of Morrill died June 12 when his canoe capsized while he was fishing on Cross Pond.

In that incident, Peterson was fishing with a friend during the evening hours, and neither was wearing a life jacket. Johnny Dayton, 23, of Belfast, who swam to shore, later told a warden that Peterson had said he was unable to swim.

By MEGHAN V. MALLOY, Kennebec Journal June 23, 2009


Lakes: Damariscotta Lake
Regions: Mid Coast


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