The Fourth of July weekend marked one year since a boating accident on Smith Lake claimed the life of Kelsey Starling, and the divers who spent three months recovering her body are marking the anniversary with a simple plea: be careful out on the water.
Starling, remembered by friends as a former cheerleader with a bright, outgoing personality, died in the July 2020 accident that set off an extensive recovery effort involving more than a dozen teams, volunteer divers and specialized equipment.
A Recovery That Took Three Months
Chris Ball was the diver who ultimately found Starling nine months into the effort. He said the work is a sobering reminder of how fast a fun day on the lake can turn tragic.
“People don’t think about what we do until they need us,” Ball said. “A lot of these things are preventable, just by being careful when you’re out there on the water.”
Ball never met Starling, but he said the Smith Lake community made clear how much she meant to her family and friends, describing her as someone with a bright future ahead of her.
Message From the Rescue Unit
The recovery drew personnel from across the region, including the Houston County Rescue Unit, a Dothan-based volunteer team whose president, Ashton Davis, went to high school with Starling. Davis said he remembers her energy most of all.
“Life is fragile and all it takes is one mistake,” Davis said. “It takes a split second for the most unimaginable thing to happen.”
Divers with the unit said they commit every available resource to each search they conduct. Their hope, they added, is that over holiday weekends like this one, they won’t be needed at all.