Fisherman hanging to branch saved in Chattahoochee

SUWANEE - A fisherman clinging to a tree branch on the Chattahoochee River south of Buford Dam has been rescued... the first of two such incidents on the Chattahoochee Sunday morning.

Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge of the Gwinnett County Fire Department said the man was fishing in a float tube Sunday morning when he was pulled away by swift, rising waters in the area of Buford Dam.

Forsyth County firefighters could not reach the fisherman by boat from their location. They then directed a Gwinnett rescue boat to him. The Swiftwater Rescue Team put in their boat at Buford Dam Park. The man was rescued downstream in Suwanee.

He was treated for a hand injury at the scene. Fire fighters were dispatched about 9:40 a.m.

The second call came in about 11:45. (See separate story.)