Fort Scott man dies in watercraft accident

A 34-year-old Fort Scott man, Cory Larson, was killed in a Friday evening watercraft accident in Carroll County, Ark.

Keith Stephens, public information coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in Little Rock, said Larson and a friend were on personal watercraft. One of them took off and let off the throttle and his friend struck him in the back.

Stephens said the accident is still under investigation.

The accident occurred in the Hogscald Hollow area, which is a reservoir and has deep water, Stephens said.

Carroll County Coroner Larry Sanders pronounced Larson dead at the scene, the Associated Press reported.

During the summer, Stephens said, more people are out on the water. "It's pretty unusual to have a fatality on personal watercraft," he said. "We don't have a lot of those, but it does happen from time to time."

In that part of Arkansas, Stephens said, there are a lot of large reservoirs along the northern border, attracting people from Kansas and Missouri.

When on personal watercraft, make sure of your surroundings; make sure when you accelerate there's nothing in front of you "because they do accelerate so fast and they don't have any brakes," Stephens said. Also, don't turn in front of any boats or vessels, he added.

According to the Cheney Witt Funeral Chapel website, visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 5, at Cheney Witt Chapel and services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, July 6, at Buck Run Community Center.