- The two were coming home from a night of fishing around 4 a.m., driving down a dark, rural road near Lake Wedowee, according to Detric’s Father in Law, Brian Blazer.
As they crested a hill, they were met with a flash flood. Water from a nearby creek had surged more than 20 feet.
The SUV pulling their bass boat was swept off the road and slammed into a guardrail. Detric, who was driving, woke Cohen shouting, “Wake up, we could drown!”
And that’s exactly what Cohen tried to stop from happening.
He pushed open the sunroof, pulled Detric out, and they climbed on top of the vehicle, surfing it through the current before jumping into nearby trees.
When Detric struggled to climb, Cohen shoved him up.
That final act saved his life.
Detric made it into the tree. But Cohen was pulled away by the current. His body was found hours later, tangled in the trees as the water receded.
Officials confirmed Cohen drowned in the flood. And his family, along with first responders and friends, say he died a hero.
Local volunteers played a key role in the emergency response, and it’s a miracle Detric was rescued. He held on for hours as people passed by, unable to hear his cries over the rushing water. It was Detric’s loved ones who finally heard him and waded into neck-deep water to pull him to safety.
Cohen was a longtime friend, a devoted fisherman, and a young man with a huge heart.
Now, the community is grieving the kind of loss that stays with you forever.
Cohen Turner laid down his life for his friend.
May we honor that love and sacrifice, and may his family feel the support and prayers of everyone holding them close tonight. 💔
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