A Somerset County, Maryland man died while working on the motor of his boat before going out fishing, according to Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP).
65-year-old John Gregory Cox had been on his jon boat at his house on East Creek in Marion Station Sunday morning. A family member found him submerged next to his boat in about 18 inches of water, tangled in dock and anchor lines, said NRP spokesperson Candy Thomson. The boat was stuck on the creek’s muddy bottom.
Cox was pronounced dead at 9:50 a.m Sunday. An autopsy was being performed on Monday. Cox’s death marks the 13th boating fatality of 2018, compared to nine in all of 2017.
Of the 13 deaths this year, 12 victims were not wearing life jackets, including Cox. One person was wearing a life jacket that did not inflate.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
