A prominent Georgia attorney drowned in a tragic accident while swimming with his son on Sunday when both were caught in a rip current.
Page Pate, a founding member of Atlanta firm Pate, Johnson & Church, and his teenage son were swept out off the coast of St. Simons Island.
A water rescue team was dispatched after receiving a ‘two swimmers are in distress’ call at Gould’s Inlet. The rescue team pulled Pate out of the water and into a boat. The 55-year-old was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Pate’s son reached the shore safely before first responders arrived, Glynn County Fire-Rescue acting Chief Vinnie DiCristofalo said.
“I don’t have direct information whether they were together and got drawn out,” DiCristofalo said.
The tidal currents along Glynn County’s shoreline are among the strongest on the East Coast, according to the Brunswick News. There is an average difference of 8 feet between high and low tides, which are exacerbated at Gould’s Inlet, where outgoing waters rush from a swift tidal creek.
Pate leaves a wife and two sons behind.
“Some of Page’s happiest moments were on trips with his sons, whether long hikes on the West Coast or taking in Nascar races,” Pate’s firm said in a statement.
Pate has been named to the list of Super Lawyers for the past 12 consecutive years and named on US News’ list of The Best Lawyers in America for the last seven years.
“Though he was a formidable, sometimes intimidating, attorney in the courtroom, Page had an easy smile, an earnest laugh, and a great sense of humor,” the firm continued.
Pate was a founding member and board executive committee member of the Georgia Innocence Project.
“Above all else, we will remember Page’s kindness and generosity, always willing to give anything he could to help, whether it be a personal matter or professional, and never asking for anything in return,” the nonprofit said on Twitter.
Pate also served as an expert legal commentator for various media outlets, including CNN, NPR, the New York Times and the Associated Press.
