Manchester man dies after medical emergency on Barren Fork River

A Manchester man died Saturday after suffering what authorities described as a boating-related incident on the Barren Fork River in Warren County.

According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), 48-year-old Corey Blake Phillips was paddling with two other men shortly before 11 a.m. June 20 when he became unresponsive and fell from a boat following a brief stop along the river.

The other paddlers contacted 911, and personnel with the Warren County Rescue Squad and Warren County Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene.

Phillips was transported to a McMinnville hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

TWRA reported the incident as Tennessee's 10th boating-related fatality of 2026. The agency has not released additional information regarding the cause of Phillips' medical emergency, and the incident remains under investigation.

The fatality occurred on the same day as Kids of the Community's annual Paddlefest event, which brings dozens of paddlers to the Barren Fork River each year. However, event organizers said Phillips was not participating in the organized outing.

"We were asked if it was one of our people," Paddlefest organizer Pam Pescevic said Saturday. "To my knowledge, no one associated with our group was involved in any emergency situation. All of our participants and all of our kids were safe."

Pescevic said she had heard reports that a medical emergency may have occurred on the river but emphasized she had no direct knowledge of the circumstances and could not confirm details. A second source contacted stated they had heard Phillips suffered a seizure, which corroborated what Pescevic said she had been told but has not been confirmed.

TWRA did not indicate any connection between the fatality and Paddlefest, and it appears Phillips and his party were not part of the event but were instead enjoying a day of recreation on the water before the tragic incident unfolded.