Lugoff man, 21, drowns while swimming in Lake Hartwell

SENECA, S.C. (WOLO) — Authorities say a 21-year-old man from Lugoff has drowned while swimming in Lake Hartwell. Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis said in a news release that Odell Gaither jumped off a floating dock in a designated swimming area of the lake around 7:20 p.m. Saturday and never resurfaced. Rescuers found him underwater less than 10 minutes later, and were able to resuscitate him. But the coroner says Gaither died several hours later at the hospital. Addis says Gaither was swimming with friends and was a student at USC Upstate. No autopsy is planned, and the coroner has ruled the cause of death was accidental drowning.