Sad irony: 81-year-old Ormond Beach man falls into Norris Dead River near DeLand and drowns

DELAND -- The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death this morning of an 81-year-old Ormond Beach man who apprently fell into the Norris Dead River, a tributary of the St. Johns River, at the Highland Park Fish Camp.

A witness called 9-1-1 at 7:07 a.m. to report that Richard Bass had fallen off a dock and disappeared into the water.

Deputies and rescue personnel from Volusia County Fire Services arrived on scene and helped search for the victim who was found at approximately 7:57 a.m.

The elderly man was then transported by EVAC Ambulance to Florida Hospital DeLand where he was pronounced dead at 8:28 a.m. An autopsy will be conducted by the Volusia County Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death, Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.

NSB News is a 24/7 Internet newspaper in New Smyrna Beach accessed through NSBNews.net and VolusiaNews.net, launched April 7, 2008, by award-winning breaking news and investigative reporter Henry Frederick and award-winning blogger Peter Mallory. It is the first fully-online newspaper in Florida and among the few in the nation with continuous editorial content picked up by Google News Directories.

Wendel Bradford