Man drowns in Spring River while swimming with friends

A 37-year-old Hardy man drowned Monday evening while swimming at Buford Beach on the Spring River, according to multiple reports.

Jonesboro television outlet KAIT reported that Sharp County Coroner Renee Clay-Circle confirmed the victim as Justin Toney. His body was recovered around 8 p.m., after Sharp County dispatch received a report of a possible drowning at approximately 6:30 p.m., said Hardy interim Police Chief Michael Himschoot.

“Emergency personnel from multiple agencies responded to the scene,” Himschoot said. Toney was transported to a local emergency room, where he was pronounced dead, according to the report.

According to Lauren Siebert with the Hallmark Times, Toney had been swimming with friends and several children when he became entangled in submerged branches near a deep, newly formed hole—likely created by shifting currents during the April 5 flood.

According to Siebert, Toney helped lift one of the children above water so they could be rescued, but he did not resurface. His friends were able to get the children to safety.

Rescue crews reportedly had to use chainsaws to remove underwater debris near the riverbank. Siebert’s article said rivergoers have been providing updates about water hazards on the river since the April 5 flood, but “the area along Buford Beach where Toney’s life was lost, was not among the warning zones provided by locals, until now.”

Siebert also noted that the river’s water level was just under five feet at the time—higher than its average flow but not over its banks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.