A boater participating in a bass fishing tournament was killed early Saturday morning after crashing into the Tierce Patton bridge over Lake Tuscaloosa.

Danny James Pate, 63, of Coker, was pronounced dead at the scene, Tuscaloosa Police spokeswoman Lt. Teena Richardson said.

TPD’s lake patrol division officers were called to the crash site at 6:30 a.m. Saturday. Pate was participating in the Bass Waterworks Bass Tournament, and had been traveling south on the lake when he struck a rocky bank, became airborne and hit the underside of the bridge.

The bridge remains open, Richardson said.

Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Carroll’s Creek volunteer firefighters also responded to the accident.