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Hall man drowns after jumping off bridge
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A 29-year-old Hall County man who drowned Monday night after jumping off a bridge into Lake Lanier was identified this morning as 29-year-old William Maddox.

Maddox and friends had driven to Bell’s Mill Bridge on U.S. 129 to jump off the bridge, according to Hall County Fire Chief David Kimbrell. When the man didn’t surface after jumping off the bridge around 6 p.m., friends called 911.

Responding deputies and firefighters were unable to find Maddox, despite repeated surface dives, Kimbrell said. Members of the Hall County Marine Rescue unit located the man’s body in about 10 feet of water less than a minute after arriving on scene, Kimbrell said.

Maddox was pronounced dead on arrival at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.

Kimbrell said it’s not unusual to get calls about people jumping off the many bridges in Hall County.

“That’s pretty common; people drive up to the bridge and jump off. We get calls about that a lot,” he said.

Officials are unsure why Maddox drowned and an autopsy will be performed, Kimbrell said.