A 67-year-old man drowned in the Black Warrior River Friday morning while attempting to help recover a boat that was drifting away, according to Tuscaloosa authorities.Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy said Tuscaloosa County deputies responded to a reported drowning at Burchfield Branch Park on the river in the Adger community around 11:26 a.m. Friday. Kennedy said the TVCU was called to take over the investigation and the drowning appears to be a tragic accident.Kennedy said owners of a boat were attempting to launch it from the landing at the park when the boat began to drift away. One of the boat's owners swam to it in an attempt to recover it, but was unable to climb into the boat and began to drift alongside it.Investigators said at some point 67-year-old William "Barny" McWilliam, a volunteer camp host at the park, saw what was going on and entered the water to assist. While swimming to the boat, McWilliam became distressed and went under the water. His family was able to retrieve him and bring him back to shore where life-saving techniques were attempted by multiple agencies but ultimately failed.Kennedy said McWilliam's family has asked for privacy, but wanted to thank all responding agencies and volunteers for their efforts. His family added that he enjoyed volunteering at the park because he loved to help people and had spent his entire life looking for ways to do just that. His wife said McWilliam became an Eagle Scout as a teenager, and it was not surprising that he would put his life at risk to help a stranger.