Media coverage of 2014 recreational boat propeller accidents.

If you are aware of coverage of a 2014 propeller accident that is not reported here, please contact us.

Fatal accidents are coded immediately in front of the reporting data as:

D indicates a U.S. fatality

D indicates a fatality outside the U.S.

• D 23 December 2014 Phuket Gazette (Thailand) “Norwegian Tourist Dies After Hit by Boat Propeller Off Koh Tao” reports A 22 year old female tourist from Norway, Sije Fauskerud Mathisen /Siji Macdison, was diving off Koh Tao in the Koh Pha Ngan district of Surat Thani on Monday 22 December. She was diving in shallow water and the propeller of a passing boat struck her in the head. She was rushed to Koh Tao Inter Hospital, but died en route from her wounds. Bangkok Post says the passing boat was another dive boat letting off divers in the area that was not aware divers were already in the area.
• 13 December 2014 9News (Australia) “Boat Propeller Severs Teen Girl’s Leg in Horror Accident” reports a 15 year old girl was wakeboarding at Bundalong about 8:30pm December 13th. She fell, the boat circled back, and she was struck by the propeller. Her left leg was severed above the knee. The girl was life flighted to Melbourne Children’s Hospital. A 31 January 2015 followup article in The Courier identified the girl as Denique Peace of Boosey. It also reports surgeons were unsuccessful in their efforts to reattach her leg.
• D 17 November 2014 ABC Australia “Boy, 6, Dies After Being Hit by Boat Propeller at Cleaverville Beach North of Karratha” reports a family was launching a boat at a remote beach in the Pilbara region of West Australia on Saturday morning 15 November. Details are sketchy, but indicate the boy was left on the boat by himself after it was started. The boat kicked into gear and began the Circle of Death, the boy was trying to shut the boat off per his father’s instructions when he was ejected. His father jumped in to help his son, but his son was fatally struck by the propeller. The father was also struck. The father was life flighted to Royal Perth Hospital in Perth. The mother and daughter were flown to Perth, the three year old daughter is in Princess Margaret Hospital.
• D 3 November 2014 Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) “Man Dies After Being Hit by Boat in Swansea” reports a 45 year old male fell from a boat on Lake Macquairie on Sunday morning November 2nd. about 9:45 am. The small boat was about 3.5 meters long, and he was the only person onboard. The boat was near the south entrance of Swan Bay when the accident occurred. The man was subsequently struck by his own boat. A nearby boat took him to Pelican, but he died on arrival. Other reports say the 45 year old man struck was from Edgeworth. Nov. 3 Daily Telegraph confirmed this was a propeller accident and the boat was circling in the circle of death. He died of chest and face injuries.
• D Oct-Nov 2014 Accident Date – 15 Nov 2014 BND (Illinois about accident in Nicaragua) “Lebanon Man Helps Wings of Hope Keep Flying” reports as soon as charitable efforts were able to get a medical plane repaired in Nicaragua, they came back from the test flight and found, “A young man had been cut badly on a boat propeller and was on a litter on the ground in the hangar.” They flew him to a medical clinic, but he died.

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2014/11/15/3512680/lebanon-man-takes-airplane-engine.html?sp=/99/166/179/#storylink=cpy

• 27 October 2014 Sunraysia Daily (Australia) “Man Loses Leg in Boating Accident” reports a 44 year old male from Mildura was swimming behind a hired houseboat on Friday 24 October on the Murray River at GolGol. His left leg was caught in the running propeller. The call for emergency services went out about 4:45 pm. The man suffered “severe injuries and lacerations to thigh, foot, and ankle.” He was life flighted to Royal Melbourne Hospital where his leg was amputated.
• D 21 October 2014 Charlton County Herald (Georgia) “Visitor Drowns in Tragic Swamp Boat Accident” reports Ruby Kelly Causey, 77 of Efland North Carolina) was visiting Okefenokee Swamp with her husband on Saturday 18 October. They stopped the boat to view something, when they restarted it, the boat stood up and they were both ejected. Her husband tried to help her, but “she had apparently become entangled with the boat’s propeller.” The accident happened about 8 miles down the canal from Charlton County boat basin in Ware County.
• 19 October 2014 New Zealand Herald (New Zealand) “Boy Cut by Propeller in Otago Harbour Crash” reports Otago Boys High School rowing team was out rowing this morning (Sunday 19 October) near Forsyth Barr Stadium. A coach was along in a powerboat yelling instructions through a loudhaler to the year 9 rowing team. The powerboat the coach was in struck the rowing skiff, three students initially went to the hospital. One of them, a 12 year old boy, had serious propeller injuries to his arm. He was taken to Dunedin Hospital. The boat the coach was in was a 40 horsepower aluminum Stabicraft. Several agencies are investigating including Workplace NZ, Maritime NZ, and the school. A harbourmaster is also mentioned in the coverage.
• 14 October 2014 Local 10 (Pembroke Park, Florida) “Snorkeler Hit by Boat Propeller at Haulover Inlet” reports from Miami Beach that a man was snorkeling off Haulover Inlet early this afternoon, Friday 17 October. He and two friends has gone out on a small boat. The man was struck by the propeller of a passing boat. This and a combination of other sources identify a quintuple outboard powered gold boat as the one that struck him. He was taken to Jacksonville Hospital in critical condition. Preliminary sources indicate the dive flag was up and alcohol was not a factor. We will be covering this accident in more detail on Saturday.
• 12 October 2014 NZCity (New Zealand) “Man Cut by Boat Propeller” reports a 63 year old male was on a beach on Hawke’s Bay near Waimarama on Sunday morning 12 October. About 8am a boat was being launched and he was cut by its propeller. The man was life flighted to Hawke’s Bay Hospital. He was later identified as Cliff Jenkins. Later reports say two men were launching boat, Jenkins was with the boat while the other was parking the trailer. Jenkins was “pushed over” by a wave and the non-rotating prop cut him in the knee and groin.
• 6 October 2014 The Morning Bulletin (Australia) “Woman Flown to Brisbane After Keppel Boating Accident” reports a 24 year old woman was on an inflatable boat with some friends off Great Keppel Island on Saturday 4 October. She fell overboard and was struck by the propeller, “receiving lacerations to her head, arm and back…”. A doctor off duty near the site treated her till life flight arrived. She was taken to Rockhampton Hospital, then on to Brisbane.
• 5 October 2014 Newcastle Herald (Australia) “Man Struck by Boat Propeller Near Hawks Nest” reports a 58 year old male was struck by his own boat’s propeller near Hawks Nest on Sunday 5 October. Paramedics arrived at the Hawks Next boat ramp just before noon. An investigation is ongoing. The man was life flighted to John Hunter Hospital. Other reports say the man’s small tinny swerved to avoid a jet ski and the engine came in the boat. He was cut in the abdomen and arm.
• Fall 2014 Accident – 15 may 16 KLS (Salt Lake City Utah) “Mother of 10 to Run Provo’s Freedom Run After Near-Fatal Accident” reports Loriann Gabrielsen, now 59, was on a personal watercraft on Lake Powell in the Fall of 2014. A boat ran over the PWC and she was seriously injured by the propeller. Incurring many injuries, including deep lacerations to her skull from the propeller.

*****Post Labor Day accidents often shift to Australia and New Zealand as their boating season begins

************Labor Day Weekend Ends Monday 1 September 2014 **********

• 31 August 2014 KFOR (Oklahoma City Oklahoma) “13-year-old Girl Struck by Boat Propeller” reports a 13 year old girl was boating with her family on Foss Lake in Custer County (west central Oklahoma) on Sunday 31 August. She jumped off the platform trying to land on a tube behind the boat, missed the tube, and was struck by the propeller. The young girl was life flighted to OU Medical Center.
• 31 August 2014 WHOtv (Iowa) “Propeller Seriously Injured Leg of Iowa Boater” reports Matt Peterson, 33 of Muscatine Iowa, was in a boat on the Mississippi River near Fairport on Saturday night August 30th. He fell from the boat and his leg was struck by the propeller. Peterson was taken to University Hospital in Iowa City. KWWL reports he was taken by ambulance to a Davenport Iowa Hospital, then life flighted to a hospital in Iowa City.

************Labor Day Weekend Starts Friday 29 August 2014 **********

• 29 August 2014 CBS12 (Corpus Christi, Texas) “Woman’s Leg Severed by Boat Propeller When She Falls Into Water” reports Rebecca Chambers, 24, was in a boat leaving the ski basin, was in the Intracoastal Waterway going toward a boat ramp about 8pm Sunday August 24. She fell from the bow and was struck by the propeller. Her “leg was severed below the knee.” She was taken to Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital. An accompanying video showed a center console boat that shared some deckboat features but was NOT a pontoon boat.
• 26 August 2014 Stamford Advocate (Connecticut) “Man Cut by Boat Propeller Rescued in Stamford” reports a man was wakeboarding on Long Island Sound near Stamford late today (Tuesday, August 26) behind a 23 foot boat. The man was cut by the propeller, taken to shore at Brewer Yacht Haven, then driven by ambulance to a hospital. Police officers cleared the road in front of the ambulance to allow it to get to the hospital faster.
• 21 August 2014 SunSentinel (Fort Lauderdale Florida) “Diver Survives Getting Hit by Powerboat off Hollywood” reports Adrian Winchel, 63 of Hollywood Florida, was diving with a spear gun Saturday 16 August off Hollywood in about 30 feet of water. He surfaced, a boat was coming at him. The boat was 3 to 5 feet from his dive flag. He dove, but was still hit by the prop. Winchell was in the water another hour before his friend came back to pick him up. His friend took him to Port Everglades Inlet, to Fort Lauderdale, then to Holy Cross Urgent Care in Ft. Lauderdale. The propeller “fractured his right ankle” and cut off a chunk of his heel. In 1992 he was diving with a man that lost both his legs to a prop that day.
• 19 August 2014 KeysNews (Florida) “Tumultuous Weekend for Serious Accidents” reports a variety of accidents over the weekend, including the Saturday 16 August propeller strike of Eileen Elizabeth Sullivan, 56 of Fredericksburg Virginia. Off Key West Bight she was standing in a dinghy when it was struck by a wave, she fell into the propeller, but not completely off the boat. She was struck on her right arm and face. She was taken toward Lower Keys Medical Center, became worse in transit, so they took her to the airport and life flighted / flew her to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.
• D 12 August 2014 Thema News (Greece) “Mykonos: Water Sports Owner and Driver to Face Prosecutor Over Child’s Death” reports a 10 year old boy was riding a towed banana boat (inflatable) at Kalo Livadi beach on the Cycladic Isle of Mykonos on Monday 11 August. The boy fell, the boat returned to pick him up, the propeller of the boat instantly killed the boy as his parents watched from the beach.
• D? 11 August 2014 The Press Democrat (California) “Sonoma Valley Coach Missing, Presumed Dead, in Boating Accident” reports Roger “Deets” Winslow, 49 of Glen Ellen California, was operating his performance boat on “The Narrows” of Lake Berryessa on Saturday August 9th with two passengers on board. The boat rocked suddenly one way, then jerked back in another, and he was ejected. The passengers brought the boat around to pick him up and “found some indication he had made contact with the propeller.” “There was evidence of significant injury.” The performance boat was built by Eliminator Custom Boats, had two engines, and a pickle fork nose. Crews unsuccessfully searched for his body the last two days. Searching is being hampered by the extreme depths of up to 170 feet. Winslow coached the Sonoma Valley High School Wrestling team for over twenty years, and recently stepped down. His father had coached the team for 10 years in front of him.
• D 11 August 2014 CBS New York “Long Island Man Charged After Deadly Boating Accident” reports a 53 year old male was operating a 50 foot Sea Ray boat near Freeport New York on Sunday evening 10 August. The operator stopped the boat near Baldwin Bay for the passengers to swim. About 14 people were on board. The operator told them to get back onboard, started the engines, and one passenger was still in the water. Cesar Hernandez-Rodas, 34 years old of Bay Shore, was severely struck by the propeller. He was taken to a nearby hospital, and died.
• 9 August 2014 The Morning Bulletin (Queensland Australia) reports a 24 year old male was struck in the head by a boat propeller on the Dawson River in Moura on August 8th. Authorities were called to the scene about 2:30pm. The man was life flighted to Rockhampton Hospital, then later transferred to a hospital in Brisbane Australia.
• D 7 August 2014 FoxCT (Connecticut) “Emily Fedorko, 16, Killed in Greenwich Boating Accident” reports Emily Fedorko, a teenage girl from Greenwich, Connecticut was killed in a boat while tubing 1 to 2 miles offshore on August 6th. Another teenage girl was seriously injured by the propeller in the same accident. Both girls were struck by the propeller of the boat towing them. We cover this accident detail at Emily Fedorko Accident.
• 3 August 2014 Accident Date – 23 December 2014 Laramie Boomerang (Wyoming) “Vehicular Homicide Charge Stems From Boating Accident on Keyhole Reservoir” reports Hudson Moore, age 6, was tubing with his brother behind a Malibu boat operated by his father on Keyhole Reservoir 3 August 2014. The two boys fell from the tube about 3pm and their father circled to pick them up. The father heard one son yelling and saw blood in the water. He dove in, thinking the tow rope had wrapped around the other son. An autopsy indicated the young boy was killed by the propeller.
• 3 August 2014 KSWO (Lawton Oklahoma) “Boating Mishap at Lake Lawtonka Injures Young Boy” reports an 11 year old boy was knee boarding on Lake Lawtonaka near Lawton OK on Sunday 3 August a little after 3pm. A person onboard put the boat in reverse, the boy’s foot was caught in the propeller, and he was life flighted to an Oklahoma City hospital.
• 2 August 2014 Ozarks First (Missouri) “Canoe Accident Leaves Teen in Serious Condition” reports a 15 years old girl from Springfield Missouri was in a canoe on Pomme de Terre Lake today (2 August). Just as a boat was about to crash into the canoe, the girl jumped from the canoe and was struck by the propeller of the boat. The girl was life flighted to Springfield’s Mercy Hospital. Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP says she was taken by Mercy Air to Cox South Hospital in Springfield.The pontoon struck the canoe, then struck the girl with its propeller. MSHP identified the girl as Sharron Barret, 15
• 2 August 2014 Accident Date – 6 August 2014 Bring Me The News (Minnesota) “Boater Charged With BWI After Propeller Nearly Severs Woman’s Leg” reports a boat owner from Colorado was operating his boat on Whitefish Lake on Saturday 2 August. Maria Nerness, 21 year of Greenwood, fell overboard when the boat struck a wake, and was struck in the right thigh by the propeller. Her leg was nearly severed. She was taken to North Memorial Medical Center.
• July 2014 Accident Date – on 31 July 2014 we heard from a recreational diver that just returned to the United States. He said there was a propeller accident on an AquaWorld dive boat with about 20 divers on it off Cozumel, Mexico a few days ago. A 16 year old Mexico City girl with the vessel was sucked into the propeller as it was backing up. Her legs were severely injured. The dive boat took her to shore, waited 45 minutes for an ambulance, then went back out diving again. The diver that called us was wanting to know if the girl survived or not and how she was doing if she made it. If anybody knows anything about this accident or the girl’s condition, please drop us a note via the “Contact Us” tab in the very top menu.
• 30 July 2014 Lake News Online (Camdenton Missouri) “German Man Struck by Propeller, Seriously Injured” reports Konstantin Ehmke, 18, of Greifswald Germany, was on Lake of the Ozarks Tuesday 29 July. As noon was approaching, he was swimming in Lick Branch Cove near the stern of a 2005 Chaparral runabout boat, came in contact with the propeller, and was taken to Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach Missouri by ambulance.
• D WBOC (Maryland) “Man Dies in Boating Accident Off Ocean City Coast” reports a 48 year old male was on a charter fishing boat named “No Chances” about 60 miles off Ocean City, Maryland on Saturday 26 July. A line became entangled in the propeller. The man entered the water to free the propeller from the line wrapped around it. He was struck in the head by the propeller. They gave him CPR on the way to shore, but he was pronounced dead on his arrival.
• 25 July 2014 Lake Powell Chronicle (Arizona) “Boat Propeller Injures 12-year Old Girl on Lake Powell” reports a 12 year old girl was on the back of a moving powerboat on July 23rd. She was holding a inflatable tube when she was ejected out the back and struck by the propeller. The girl suffered a severe leg injury. The girl was from Israel. Arizona Daily Sun says emergency crews responded to Wahweap Marina, and she was life flighted to Flagstaff Medical Center.
• 25 July 2014 4029tv (Arkansas) “Boat, Jet Ski Collide at Beaver Lake, Officials Say” reports a 24 year old man was on a jet ski early this afternoon July 25th on Beaver Lake in Carroll County, Arkansas. He was accompanied by some family members in a pontoon boat. The gentleman fell from the jet ski and was ran over by the propeller of the pontoon boat. Nearby boaters rushed him to the Rocky Branch area of Beaver Lake where he was life flighted to a Washington Regional Hospital. Arkansas “Game and Fish officials said it was the worst boating accident they had seen.”
• 24 July 2014 KVUE (Austin Texas) “Man Injured by Boat Propeller on Lake Austin” reports a man was water skiing on Lake Austin near the Pennybacker Bridge on Thursday July 24th. He was ran over by the boat, struck by the propeller, received serious injuries, and was life flighted to a hospital.
• 23 July 2014 Kearney Hub (Kearney Nebraska) “Boat Propeller Cuts Colo. Woman’s Leg at Johnson Lake” reports Julie Zecchino, 50 of Highland Ranch Colorado, was in the water pushing a boat with another woman in the Sandy Beach area of Johnson Lake on Tuesday afternoon July 21st. A third woman started the engine once the other two women said they were clear of the boat. The third woman put the boat in gear, waves pushed the boat with the now running propeller into Julie Zecchino. She was cut on the upper left thigh by the propeller, and transported to medical care in a private vehicle.
• 21 July 2014 WNEP (Tennessee) “Union County Team Wins National Bassmasters Championship” reports two Tennessee high school boys won the national high school bass fishing championship this past weekend. Congratulations to Nick Osman and Garrett Enders of Mifflinburg, TN. During a tournament practice session, Garrett Enders was struck on the chin by the trolling motor propeller and required a few stitches.
• 21 July 2014 ABC27 WHTM (Pennsylvania) “Pa. Man Recovering From Boat Propeller Injuries” reports Jonathan Hittie, of Carlisle, was water skiing onn Conodoguniet Creek on Saturday July 19th. He fell, the boat circled to pick him up, he wound up under the boat, and was struck by the propeller. Hittie was life flighted to Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
• 20 July 2014 Brisbane Water LAC – MSW Police Force (Australia) Facebook page “Male Suffering Severe Leg Injury – Suspected to Have Been Struck by Own Boat – Koolewong” reports authorities were alerted to a 30 year old man in the water with a boat circling him about 4:45 pm Sunday 20 July. When they rescued him he had a severe wound on his lower right leg thought to have been caused by the propeller. He was taken to Koolewong Boat Ramp where he was taken to Austin Butler Oval, Woy Woy by ambulance, then life flighted to Royal North Shore Hospital. The Daily Telegraph ran a great follow up story on July 24th.
• D 17 Jul 2014 Accident Date – 24 July 2014 The Clayton Tribune (Georgia) “Tragic Death of Child on Lake Burton” reports Ryan Paul Batchelder, 7 of North Worth Florida, was in the bow of a rented speedboat on Lake Burton on Thursday 17 July. Thursday afternoon the boat made a hard turn and the bow hit a wake. Ryan Batchelder and another child were ejected from the bow, the boat operator put the boat in reverse, and Batchelder became “entangled in the boat’s propeller and driveshaft.” The young boy died from his injuries. We provide extensive coverage of this accident at Ryan Batchelder killed by propeller.
• 11 July 2014 NewHampshire.com “Two Injured by Propellers in Separate Boating Accidents on Lake Winnipesaukee” reports a 15 year old male from Bow, New Hampshire was struck by a boat propeller while wakeboarding on Lake Winnipesaukee near Meridith just before noon Friday July 11th. He was taken to Lakes Region General Hospital. On the same date and lake – Sarah Sophia, 21 of Wakefield Massachusetts, was riding a tube when she was struck by the propeller of the boat that was towing her. Just like, the boy struck earlier, she was taken to Lakes Region General Hospital. Other reports say emergency crews responded to the Sarah Sophia accident in the Morrison Cove area of the lake about 1:25pm.
• 11 July 2014 Stateman (Austin Texas) “Man Injured by Boat Propeller, Austin-Travis County EMS Says” reports a man in his 50’s fell from a boat at Emma Long Metropolitan Park this morning, July 11th. He was life flighted to University Medical Center Brackenridge.
• 11 July 2014 Northland News Center (NW Wisconsin) “Man Hospitalized After Being Struck by Boat Propeller” reports Thomas Wincek, 58 of Fond du Lac Wisconsin (home of Mercury), along with his son and grandson were boating on Upper Ear Clarie near Barnes on Friday 10 July. Thomas Wincek was operating the boat at cruising speed after leaving the landing, and lost control of the boat about 3pm. He and his son were ejected, and the boat went into the “Circle of Death”. His grandson, still on board, was able to turn off the motor. Wincek (the grandfather) was struck by the propeller of the circling boat and life flighted to a hospital in Duluth.
• 8 July 2014 KMBC (Kansas City, Missouri) “Shawnee Man Falls Overboard, Hit by Boat’s Propeller” reports Matthew D. Huddleston, 20 of Shawnee Kansas, was on a 2013 Voyager pontoon boat on Lake of the Ozarks on Monday evening July 7th. About 5:40pm they were at South Buck Creek Cove near the Bass Point Resort. He was standing at the bow, the operator slowed the boat, Huddleston fell over the bow, and was struck by the propeller. KRGC says Matthew Huddleston was taken by ambulance to Eldon, then life flighted to University Hospital in Columbia. This is at least the third over the bow pontoon boat propeller accident since June 30th. We identify many more on out list of Over the Bow Pontoon Boat Propeller Accidents.

************Sunday 6 July end of July 4th weekend **************

• D? 9 July 2014 KeysInfoNet (Florida Keys) “Marathon Businessman Dies After Being Struck by His Own Boat” reports Brian M. Aronoff, 49 year old owner of All Aboard Boat Rentals, was on a 1995 Maycraft in the Keys on Saturday July 5th. He was enroute to help one of his customers when he fell overboard, the boat went into the “Circle of Death”, and he was fatally struck by the boat. NOTE: no mention is made of propeller injuries, we just included it here because there it sounds to us like there is a high probability he may have also been struck by the prop. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) says cause of death is pending a report from the medical examiner.
• 7 July 2014 KRMG (Tulsa Oklahoma) “Man Loses Leg to Boat Propeller” reports a young man jumped into the lake behind a boat on Grand Lake at Dripping Springs Cove (a popular spot on Grand). The operator did not see the young man, backed the boat into him, “shredding his legs with the boat propeller.” Trained medics happened to be in the area and quickly responded to assist him. Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) later reported the young man lost much of his lower right leg. Joplin Globe later identifies the date as 4 July 2014, and the young man as Zach Hall in a great story about him coming back to play baseball for Joplin High School, The Road Back. 18 March 2015. A big thanks to one of our viewers for bringing this excellent article to my attention.
• 6 July 2014 KTUL (Tulsa Oklahoma) “Boat Propeller Sends Child to Tulsa Hospital With Leg Injuries” reports six people, including four children, were on a boat on Lake Eufaula south of Tulsa on Saturday evening July 5th. A girl was sitting on the bow dragging her feet in the water, fell in, and was struck in the leg by the propeller. Muskogee Phoenix update – She was taken to Epic Medical Center in Eufaula, then life flighted to Children’s Hospital at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. The boat has since been identified as a 1991 pontoon boat. We list many similar pontoon boat propeller accidents at Pontoon Boat Over the Bow Propeller Accidents
• 5 July 2014 Statesman (Austin Texas) “Officials: 20-year-old Man Hospitalized After Falling on Propeller” reports a 20 year old man was boating on Lake Travis about 7:15 pm Saturday evening July 5th. He fell on a boat propeller. The man was taken to Eriksen Marina, then life flighted to Round Rock Medical Center.
• 4 July 2014 Orange County Register (California) “Man Struck by Boat Propeller in Dana Point Harbor” reports a 22 year old male was in a dingy in Dana Point Harbor about 3:30 pm Friday July 4th. The man fell from the boat and was struck by the propeller of another boat. He received “severe cuts to his head, face, and chest.” Officials noted that dispatchers received numerous call about the accident from people in other boats, or on shore, or on the dock and compared it to how they receive numerous reports of brush fires.

*********************Friday 4 July 2014 – July 4th Weekend begins ********

• 4 July 2014 KTRE (Texas) “14-yr-old Boy Who Lost Leg in Houston Co. Boating Accident in Stable Condition: reports Clint Crane, 14 from the area near Huffman Texas, fell from a boat on Houston County Lake on Wednesday evening July 2nd about 8pm. His leg was severely cut by the propeller. He was taken to ETMC-Crockett (East Texas Medical Center – Crockett). Plans were made to life flight him to another hospital, but weather conditions did not allow that. Doctors were unable to save his leg. The boy was later identified as Clint Crane.
• 1 July 2014 River Cities Daily Tribune “Teen Girl Stable After Lake LBJ Boat-propeller Accident” reports a 14 year old girl was swimming in LBJ Lake about 7pm on Saturday 30 June. She was in about 3 to 5 feet of water off Kingsland Community Park when she was struck by a boat propeller and suffered serious cuts to her legs. The young girl was life flighted to a hospital in Travis County Texas.
• June 2014 Accident Date – 17 June 2016 The Oregonian / Oregon Live “Teen disfigured by boat propeller on school trip to Costa Rica sues for $20 million” reports Joseph Christoper Johnson, 16 or 17 at time of the accident, was on a private Christian School, Salem Academy, trip to Coast Rica in June 2014. Students were swimming at Isla Tortuga in an area boats passed through. He was struck by a propeller, possibly when swimming underwater. His “head and face were chopped, cut and severely injured by the propeller of a motor boat”.
• 30 June 2014 Accident Date – Mexico – 1 July 2014 ScubaBoard forums “Hit by a Boat in Cozumel” reports a female (or maybe a male) tourist from near Tulsa Oklahoma, was struck in the leg by a boat propeller in Cozume a l Mexico on 30 June.
• 30 June 2014 DelmarvaNow (Maryland) “Man Injured Head on Boat Propeller in OC” reports John Scott Hauf, 26 of Sykesville Maryland, was on a 22 foot rented pontoon in Isle of Wight Bay near 32nd street in Ocean City on Monday 30 June. Hauf is thought to have jumped off the bow and been struck by the propeller before the operator could stop the boat. Friends pulled him from the water. He “suffered lacerations to his shoulders, neck, and back of his head.” He was taken to Baha Marina, and transported by paramedics to Peninsula Regional Medical Center, then on to R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore). See our list of Over the Bow Pontoon Boat Propeller Accidents for a list of many similar accidents. We hope to update it shortly with this accident and many others we have collected since our last update.
• D 30 June 2014 Global News (Canada) “Watch: Boating Safety in Spotlight After Weekend Injury” reports from Vernon, British Columbia Canada that a boy was riding a tube on Okanagan Lake on Saturday evening 28 June. He fell from the tube, the boat circled back, and ran over him, striking him with the propeller. The boy “suffered life threatening injuries to his head, arms, and legs.” The boy was later identified as Miles Douglas Caston Wohlford, 14 of Vernon. He was taken to Kelowna General Hospital and died from his injuries the evening of July 4th.
• 30 June 2014 CTV News (Canada) “OPP: 7-year-old Fell Off Boat, Hit Propeller” reports a 7 year old girl was in a boat on Lake Rosseau on Skeleton Bay about 2pm on June 30th. She fell from the back of the boat, and was struck by the propeller. The young girl was taken to shore, then on to a landing area, met by a life flight helicopter, and taken to SickKids Hospital in Toronto. The young girl was still in critical condition with serious injuries to her leg at press time.
• 30 June 2014 WEARtv (Pensacola Florida) “Crestview Boy Remains in Critical Condition” reports a 12 year old boy was snorkeling while his dad was net casting nearby in shallow waters of Choctawhatchee Bay about 7:40pm Saturday 28 June. The bay is known for being shallow for about a quarter mile off shore between Niceville and Freeport. A boat hit the boy with its propeller and continued on (possible hit and run). The boy remained in critical condition at press time. NWF Daily News later identified the young boy as Drew Barefield. We cover his accident in depth at Drew Barefield struck by propeller
• D 23 June 2014 Wave3News (Davies County Kentucky) “Teen Killed in Boating Accident Identified” reports Garrett Ward, 19 of Booneville, was boating with some friend on the Ohio River near the “French Islands” on Sunday evening 22 June. A little before 6pm, Garrett Ward and the group of friends he was boating with decided to leave the island. As the operator was backing the boat away from the island, Garrett became caught in the propeller, receiving severe injuries. The group took him to the beach, but he died before help arrived. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. A Courier Press report says it was a 24 foot boat. We are not sure if this accident was in Kentucky or Indiana, as authorities from both states responded to the accident.
• 21 June 2014 KIItv (South Texas) “Teenager Injured in Boating Accident Near the JFK Causeway” reports a male teenager fell from near the stern of a boat on Saturday afternoon 21 June, and was ran over. His head and hand were struck by the propeller. The young man was taken to Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital.
• 21 June 2014 The Augusta Chronicle (Georgia) “Boating Accident on Thurmond Lake Hospitalizes 1” reports a boat was towing a male rider on a tube near the Keg Creek area of Thurmond Lake on Saturday afternoon 21 June. The rider fell from the tube and began pulling themselves toward the boat using the tow rope, which was caught in the propeller. The boat operator started the motor, it quickly pulled the victim into the propeller, and “sliced his thigh open”.
• 21 June 2014 North Devon Journal (UK) “Fisherman Loses His Foot in Freak Accident With a Boat’s Propeller” reports a French fishing vessel was about 30 miles off the UK coast west of Hartland this morning. A fishefman is thought to have got his foot caught in a net, been drug over the side, and “his foot was chopped off.” Life flight in the form of a search and rescue helicopter was called about 7:15 am.
• D COMMERCIAL VESSEL – 11 June 2014 United Filipino Seafarers in the Philippines reported a commercial vessel accident in Singapore. “Undersea Photographer Killed by Ship’s Propeller in Singapore” reported Kwok Khee Khoon, 37, was photographing welding work on the underside of a container ship with two other divers. The propeller of the container ship was turned on and “he was sucked in and killed.”
• D 14 June 2014 The Hamilton Spectator (Ontario Canada) “Toronto Man’s Death by Speedboat in Cuba Shrouded in Secrecy” reports Gigel Tonea, 66 of Toronto Canada, was snorkeling off Santa Lucia beach in Cuba on 22 May. His wife was watching from shore as a passenger on a boat lifted a lifeless body with flippered feet from the water. When he failed to return to shore, she knew it had been his. The report said he suffered fatal propeller injuries to his head and back after being struck by the boat. His family has since faced the typical stonewalling similar countries do to those trying to gain any knowledge of the accident or cooperation of local authorities. See our Tourists Being Struck and Killed by Boat Propellers in Diving / Snorkeling Areas post.
• D? 11 June 2014 Click2Houston (Texas) “Lake Jackson PD, Texas Equusearch Looking for Missing Man” reports a deputy found a 32 year old male on the shore of Lake Jackson about 6:30am Tuesday June 11th with injuries that could have been from a boat propeller. He was taken to Brazosport Regional Hospital. Authorities are searching the lake for another 32 year old man that was with him at that time. Update – TheFacts later identified the injured man found on shore as James Chance, 31. The body of his missing friend, Brandon Joseph Talbot, 32, was found the next day with a head wound and taken to the County Medical Examiners Office to determine cause of death.
• D? Palm Beach Post “FWC: Diver Struck by Boat was Jupiter Man” reports Andrew Harris, 26 of Jupiter Florida, was snorkeling with a group of people in Jupiter Inlet about 4:15pm Sunday 8 June. He and a woman he was diving with, Nicole Kapfer, 26, were struck by a passing boat. She was treated and released. Andrew Harris was life flighted to St. Mary’s Medical Center, but died from his injuries. NOTE – we have yet to see propellers mentioned in the coverage of this accident. We are listing it because it may be a propeller strike.
• 2 June 2014 KRZK (Branson Missouri) “Passenger Struck by Prop on Table Rock” reports a passenger was boarding the stern of boat on Table Rock Lake about 7pm Saturday 31 May near South Long Creek Marina. The teenage male boat operator put the boat in gear, and the person was struck by the propeller. The boat was a 2001 Thunderbird. Missouri Water Patrol identified the passenger as Drew Russell, 19.
• D 2 June 2014 Accident Date (North Carolina) – 28 April 2015 WCTI12 “Memorial Set to be Dedicated for Tanner Webb, Student Who Died in River” reports Tanner Webb, 15 of New Bern North Carolina was in a boating on Trent River with some friends on 2 June 2014. He fell from the boat, was struck in the head by the propeller, and his body was found the next day.

Monday May 26 Memorial Day ***************************

• 31 May 2014 Houston Chronicle (Texas) “Kill Switches Are a Matter of Life and Death” reports an accident on Carancahua Bay about 24 May. A couple were ejected from a fishing boat, the boat went into the Circle of Death and struck both of them. “The man suffered broken legs, a broken arm and severe cuts from the propeller.” They reported the lady “suffered serious injuries to vertebrae and internal injuries”. Other reports indicate the lady may have had fishing hook caught in her clothing, the man took his hands off the steering, and the boat swerved and began to circle.
• 26 May 2014 1011HD (Lincoln Nebraska) “Young Man Fighting for His Life After Boating Accident” reports a man was wakeboarding about 4pm Memorial Day Monday 26 May on Branched Oak Lake. The man fell, the operator turned sharply the boat to swing back around to the fallen wakeboarder, one of the two young men at the bow fell overboard and was struck by the propeller in their chest and arms. A County Deputy Sheriff reports the young man’s injuries are life threatening. Later reports say he was life flighted to Bryan West Hospital in Lincoln and is expected to survive. The injured man was later identified by Omaha.com as Kent Seevers, 26, of Lincoln.The boat was a 19 foot Carver built in 1995 owned by another resident of Lincoln. There were four people onboard when he fell out. Two nearby medical nurses came to his rescue while he was still in the water.
• D 26 May 2014 The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) “Body of Man Who Fell into Amite River Diversion Canal Found” reports a 28 year old man (later identified as Matthew Green ) from Baton Rouge was trying to board a boat from a sit-down watercraft (PWC) about 7pm Sunday evening May 25th in Ascension Parish near the weir of the Amite River Diversion Canal. The man slipped, fell, hit the boat’s throttle, fell overboard, the boat accelerated, and his head was struck by the propeller. The man operating the boat was not injured. Matthew Green’s body was found about 2:30am Monday May 26th.
• 25 May 2014 KJAS (Jasper Texas) “Game Warden Critically Injured on Lake Sam Rayburn” reports Henry Alvarado, a Texas Parks & Wildlife Game Warden, was off-duty on Lake Sam Rayburn near the Tiger Creek Area about 4pm Sunday 25 May. Somehow, Henry Alvarado was ejected from the boat and critically injured by the propeller. The main artery in his leg was severed. Without the quick action of his fellow game wardens, paramedics say he would most likely have bled to death. He was life flighted to a hospital in Beaumont. Another report says he was on patrol with another officer in the boat, the boat did a 180, he was ejected, and struck by the propeller.
• 25 May 2014 News-Herald Havasu News (Arizona) “Boats, Booze Bikinis” reports on the Memorial Day Weekend party atmosphere at Lake Havasu and notes, one man “had his shin sliced by a boat propeller and was bleeding through his bandage.” He was receiving care from Lake Havasu City Police.
• 24 May 2014 TheState.com (South Carolina) “Woman Struck by Boat Propeller off Port Royal” reports a young woman fell from a boat off Port Royal on Friday afternoon May 23 a little before 2 pm. The woman was struck in the foot by the boat propeller. She was taken to the area near the Port Royal Landing Marina and then to Beaufort Memorial Hospital. MyrtleBeachOnline later identified the young woman as Alayna Clark, 15 of Beaufort. She and her boyfriend were riding a tube, both fell, when the boat came back around, she dove under it as it passed over her, but the propeller struck her foot. She was wearing a life jacket.

****Memorial Day Weekend Starts Friday 23 May *********

• D?Possible Propeller Strike in UK – 20 May 2014 Accident Date – 30 July 2014 The Sentinel (UK) “Coroner to write to The Canal & River Trust over Harecastle tunnel safety after death of Michael Holgate” reports Michael Holegate fell from a narrow boat in Harecastle tunnel about May 20th. His wife sounded the horn in the darkness of the tunnel. Rescue workers found his body about two hours later. It is thought that he caught his head on the top or side of the 2,500 meter tunnel and was brushed off the boat. The coroner says, “He may have struck his head again on the boat or side of the tunnel or the propeller as it went past him. We don’t know.” Among changes being requested by the coroner, are the mandatory wearing of life jackets in the tunnel.
• 20 May 2014 Island Packet (South Carolina) “Investigation Continues Into Man Hit by Boat Near Bird Island” reports a man was on a pontoon boat near Bird Island on Sunday 18 May about 2 to 3 pm. He walked to the bow, reached into a cooler, lost his balance, fell overboard, and was struck in the head and thigh by the pontoon boat propeller. He also swallowed a lot of water during the accident. The man was life flighted to an area hospital. Please note our list of previous pontoon boat over the bow propeller strikes.
• D 16 May 2014 KBOI2 TV (Boise Idaho) reports a 22 year old man fell over the bow of a boat and was fatally struck in the head by the propeller at Lucky Peak. Life flight was sent, but he died at the scene. The man was later identified as Wesley Matthews II from Kyle, Texas.
• 13 May 2014 WLHR (Lavonia Georgia) “Teen Recovering After Weekend Boating Accident on Lake Hartwell” reports a teenage boy fell from the bow of a pontoon boat on Lake Hartwell on Saturday 10 May near Milltown campground in Hart County Georgia. He was struck by the propeller, EMS took him to Greenville Memorial Hospital. Authorities say that NOT wearing a life jacket may have saved him. If he had been upright in the water it would have been a direct hit. Please note our list of previous pontoon boat over the bow propeller strikes.
• D 4 May 2014 CBS Miami (Florida) “Deadly Day for Man Caught in Propeller” reports from Key Biscane of a 40 foot boat being caught on a sandbar today (4 May 2014). Some of those onboard and others tried to push the boat off the sandbar. A young man who came to assist, later identified as Ernesto Hernandez, 23 of Hialeah, was in the water at the stern. His torso was caught in the propeller, causing very serious injuries. He was life flighted to Jackson Memorial Hospital but did not survive. The accident happened off Nixon Beach at Bill Baggs State Park near an area known as No Name Harbor. Later reports identify the boat operator as DJ Laz, a well known radio personality. We cover this accident in depth at DJ Laz Boat Propeller Strikes Ernesto Hernandez.
• 22 April 2014 Florida Keys News (Florida) “Man Hit by Boat Prop” reports a propeller accident off Islamorada at Whale Harbor Sandbar about 4 pm Saturday 19 April. Raymond Shontere, 21 was on a 1984, 20 foot, Hydrasport boat. The operator put the boat in gear as Shontere was reaching into a cooler, Shontere fell over the stern. His left arm was struck multiple times by the propeller.
• 21 February 2014 CBS Miami (Florida) “Man Hurt After Falling into Boat Propeller” reports Robert Daigle, 37 of Fort Pierce, was trying to push a boat that ran aground on the flats near Bud-n-Mary’s Marina in Islamorada Florida. The motor was running, he fell into the propeller, and was critically injured. Daigle was struck in the arm and shoulder by the propeller. He was life flighted to a Miami Hospital. The boat was later identified by KeysInfoNet as a 25 foot 1982 Renken powered by a 200 horsepower stern drive. They said Mr. Daigle was in Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.
• 18 February 2014 TVNZ (New Zealand) “Diver Struck by Boat Propeller in Bay of Plenty” reports a 26 year old male from Napier was diving in the Bay of Plenty off Te Kaha beach, close to Whakatane. About 3:30pm 18 February, his upper body was struck by the propeller (while reports are not specific, it sounds like he was probably struck by the propeller of the dive boat). His fellow divers got him to shore where he was treated by an ambulance, then life flighted to Rotorua Hospital.
• 29 January 2014 Accident Date – Mozambique – 10 February 2014 Post “Storm Brewing Over Cruise Accident” reports Mark Raubenheimer, 60, was a shoreman (helped launch small boats from shore to send passengers back to a cruise ship) from the MSC Opera cruise at Durban Mozambique. On January 29th he was launching boat of passengers in rough water from Barra-Lodge back to the cruise ship. Raubenheimer was pulled under and cut by the propeller. He was taken aboard the cruise ship for medical care.
• D 8 February 2014 Stuff (New Zealand) “Diver Hit by Propeller in Northland Named” reports Bruce Porter, 56, was diving near Poor Knights Island the evening of February 7th. He surfaced and was struck by the propeller of a commercial boat. Emergency crews were notified about 7pm. He was still conscious with serious facial injuries when he was taken on board a Coast Guard vessel. He died shortly later. A life flight helicopter responded, but Mr. Porter was dead before it arrived. Other reports say the man died before any help arrived. We cover this accident in depth at Bruce Porter killed by dive catamaran.
• 25 January 2014 Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) “Woman’s Leg Severed in Sydney Boating Accident” reports a woman in her twenties fell from a runabout about 3:30pm Saturday January 25 in South Sydney off Port Hacking. “The boat’s propeller severed off a section of her leg.” The woman was life flighted to St.George Hospital.
• 23 January 2014 Palm Beach Post (Florida) “Free Diver’s Recovery from Boat Propeller Wounds Begins” reports Jorge Caba, 48, was spearfishing off Palm Beach with a diving flag on Sunday January 19th. His 12 year old daughter was in the boat they came out in when another boat ran over him. He was hit by the “propeller to his thigh and pelvis” and received extensive injuries. His daughter was able to take a video of the boat that hit him and fled the scene. Some details were provided by WPTV and WFLX.
• D 19 January 2014 ABC News Australia “Diver Hit by Propeller and Killed at Eagle Bay” reports a man from Geraldton was diving with a group of people in Eagle Bay off the coast of Dunsborough on Saturday 18 January. He was “hit on the head by a boat propeller” and died at the scene. Perth News said the 46 year old man was from Busselton. He was diving with a friend to recover a cray pot (lobster pot). Later The West Australian reports identified the man as Paul Grant Curtois of Wonthella.
• 1 January 2014 CBS News12 (Florida) “Scuba Diver Injured by Boat Propeller in Lake Worth Lagoon” reports from Riviera Beach Florida that a scuba diver was ran over by a boat and clipped by its propeller in Lake Worth Lagoon on Wednesday morning January 1st. A bystander reported the man was alert and conscious after the accident.

Previous Year – 2013 Boat Propeller Accidents