New Richland woman, granddaughter drown in Tennessee

Published 3:02 pm Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A New Richland woman and her granddaughter died last week after they were reportedly trapped underneath an overturned pontoon on Chickamauga Lake in Tennessee.

Susan McDonough, 66, and Zoe Madeline McDonough, 10, were out on the lake Thursday for a picnic with relatives when the wind and waves started to pick up, according to the Times Free Press in Chatanooga, Tenn.

The family decided to head back to shore but couldn’t beat the storm, and the pontoon flipped, the newspaper stated.

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Neighbors and nearby fishermen reportedly went to help the family and were able to bring the other family members safely back to shore.

McDonough and her grandmother were trapped under the pontoon for several minutes and were unable to be resuscitated.