On April 24, 2016, my world crashed. My 16 year old son, Robert Dewight Ballard, Jr., was swimming with friends at Lake Springs in Appling, Georgia, approximately seventy-five feet from the shoreline, when he went underwater and never resurfaced. 

Robert was suppose to be hanging out at a friend's house when someone suggested  going to the lake. Without any adult supervision the teens paid to enter the lake and decided to swim to another island. It took over a hour for the teens to get assistance after the tragic drowning of my son.

Robert was an outstanding honor student and a true competitor on the football field, playing cornerback, #29, for Greenbrier High School in Evans, GA. He had hopes of playing for the University of Georgia and becoming a physician.

Unfortunately, my son's premature death destroyed his dreams. Georgia ranks #13 in drownings, and nearly half of those occur in lakes. I am asking for our senator and state legislators to create a lake safety bill mandating all public lakes within the state of Georgia to:

 

●      require all public lakes to have Coast Guard-approved life vest available. Sign them in/out 

●      make buoys and no swimming areas highly visible.

●      require adult supervision for minors while swimming and entertaining.

●      maintain on-duty lifeguards in swim areas

●     require water safety in all health education classes across the state of Georgia 

 

Georgia has boating laws to help protect our children, but there are none protecting our children while swimming and entertaining at lakes.

 

My prayer is that no mother or family will endure this unimaginable agony due to an accidental drowning within a lake. Please help me form Robert's Law by signing the petition and writing to our local house representative. Thank you for your continued love, support, and prayers.

 

Lakeya Collins