Boating collision on South Holston Lake kills one

SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tennessee — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is investigating a fatal boating collision that occurred on South Holston Lake on Saturday.

Around 9:45 p.m., a bass boat carrying two people struck a pillar of the Highway 421 bridge, resulting in the death of the passenger and leaving the operator with serious injuries, according to TWRA.

The operator was airlifted to Johnson City Medical Center, while the passenger, Ronald Taylor, 72, was pronounced dead at the scene.

This incident marks the 20th boating-related fatality on Tennessee’s waterways in 2025, according to TWRA.

This investigation is current and ongoing.