Georgia Man Missing After Grand Lake Boating Accident

Investigators at Grand Lake say they may be closer to solving a hit and run boating collision that likely killed a man. <br/><br/>Grand Lake authorities continued to search Monday for the body of Georgia

Monday, July 31st 2006, 5:13 am

By: News On 6

Investigators at Grand Lake say they may be closer to solving a hit and run boating collision that likely killed a man.

Grand Lake authorities continued to search Monday for the body of Georgia man who was thrown from a boat early Sunday morning. They say they've been talking to some people of interest in the case.

News on 6 reporter Jennifer Loren says Drowning Creek cove on Grand Lake was relatively quiet more than 24 hours after the wreck happened. Most of the weekend boaters have gone home. But the wreck happened at 2 AM Sunday when the waters were pitch black and still a popular area for boaters.

Justin Alberty with the Grand River Dam Authority: "Grand Lake in the summertime is generally pretty active. So it was probably just your typical summer evening in July on the lake." Until two boats, a 27-foot Formula and another boat, similar in size, collided. One of the boats took off. But a man in the Formula, 35 year old Murray McGarvey from Georgia, was thrown off the boat and still has not been found.

Investigators say the wreck happened where Drowning Creek cove opens into the lake, making their search more difficult. The water is 80 to 100 feet deep. Justin Alberty: "Well for the search that means there's just a lot of territory to cover. The water's pretty deep. So traditional searching methods that we may use other places, we may not be able to use here."

But they have called in the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for help. They say they think they found the boat that hit the Formula boat and are questioning some people of interest.

Jason Bandy of Tulsa was also on the boat with McGarvey. He was flown by helicopter to a Tulsa hospital and is in stable condition. But Bandy's wife says they are devastated at the possible loss of their friend. They want to know who was in the boat that took off.