GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Cody Liddle nearly lost his life on Old Hickory Lake.
In February, Liddle was critically injured in a terrible boating accident. He was struck by his outboard motor which snapped off and flipped into his boat after his boat hit an object in the water
Since his accident, NewsChannel 5 has shared how the community has rallied around Liddle. This included selling t-shirts to raise money for his family.
On Sunday, hundreds of people in boats raised money for him.
The 'Lifting Up Liddle' tournament on Old Hickory Lake drew around 250 fishermen. Experienced boaters were impressed with the turnout.
"I've been doing this 15 to 20 years and I've never seen over 110, 120 boats show up at a benefit," said Kyle Crecelius.
Kyle Crecelius is Liddle's fishing partner. Liddle couldn't be at the tournament because he just had another surgery. Crecelius couldn't wait to tell his friend about the show of support. He said Liddle is trying to make the most out of his situation.
"Two weeks ago we went and talked to kids and we got to tell about his accident, so it's just taking a bad situation and preventing it from happening to someone else," Crecelius said.
146 loaded into the lake early in the morning around 4 a.m. Then, dispersed across the lake when the sun came up around 5:30 a.m. Weigh-in began at 2 p.m.
The biggest prize for the tournament was $3,000.
MJ4Hope organized the tournament. An organizer said donations from sponsors and entries will bring in more than $40,000 for Liddle to use.
"You talk to his friends out here everybody loves him," said Amy Breedlove of MJ4Hope. "He's a good guy and that means a lot in this day and time to do things for people you care about and a family that takes care of each other."
