WAYNE COUNTY, Ky. — A longtime educator in the Louisville Metro area died in a boating accident at Lake Cumberland Tuesday, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed.
Conservation officers are investigating the incident that led to 78-year-old James A. Sexton Jr.'s death. The department said Sexton fell into the water when the triple-hull pontoon boat he was on struck a dock. Sexton was injured by the boat's propeller.
Witnesses said they pulled Sexton from the water and attempted to provide medical care as EMS arrived to the scene. He was taken to Wayne County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Sexton was a principal at Eastern High School for multiple years. Current principal Heather Orman sent an e-mail to school staff saying he "left an impactful legacy for generation of students and the community."
"Tomorrow students are returning; students we will welcome with open arms, but understandably, it will be a tough day with this news," Sexton said.
Sexton was also a principal at Jeffersonville High School, hired by former Jefferson County Public School superintendent Stephen Daeshner, who took over Greater Clark County Schools.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife said the incident remains under investigation.
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