Media coverage of 2006 recreational boat propeller accidents.

If you are aware of coverage of a 2006 propeller accident that is not reported here, please contact us.

Fatal accidents are coded immediately in front of the reporting data as:
D indicates the first coverage on this page of a U.S. fatality occurring this year
D indicates a fatality outside the U.S.
D indicates a U.S. fatality that occurred in another year

• 30 Dec 2006 Star Tribune (Minneapolis MN) “Amputee Sues Young Boater and His Family” reports on the 2 August 2006 accident on Hennepin County Lake in which Timothy Hartman, then 18 of Chaska, was tubing when he was hit by a boat driven by a 14 year old operating a 21 foot powerboat, perhaps too fast, and without a permit for operating alone at his age on Christmas Lake in Shorewood and Chanhassen. Hartman was being pulled along with another tuber. When the other tuber fell at about 6:30 pm, the towboat circled to retrieve them. During this maneuver, Hartman was ran over by the second boat. The propeller sliced his arm between his right shoulder and elbow. He has since lost the arm and been home recouperating. The suit seeks $7 million in “past and future medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering” alleging the second boat was operated unsafely and the parents of the operator of the second boat should not have let their son drive it. The case was sent to Juvenile Court.
• 30 Dec 2006 Dominion Post (New Zealand) “Leg Caught in Propeller” reports a 40 year old man got his leg caught in a spinning propeller at Tokomaru Bay yesterday. He suffered heavy loss of blood and was taken to Gisborne Hospital.
• 28 Dec 2006 Seattle Times (WA) “After Boating Accident, Teen Taking Things a Step At a Time” reports on the recovery of Chandler Balkman, a teen injured in a propeller accident back on 3 August. it includes a photo of him taking a few steps with his new prosthetic leg. He has been recovering faster than doctors had anticipated after his stay at Harborview Medical Center. He had been swimming with his father when he was ran over by a boat driven by another family member that did not see him in the darkness at Lake Sammamish. The propeller “sliced through his pelvis, hitting an artery.” He has returned to school part time and is undergoing physical therapy to learn to walk with his new leg. His loss of blood and lack of oxygen to his brain after the accident has affected his concentration and memory.
• D 19 Dec 2006 News 24 (South Africa) “These Are Tough Times” reports Clinton Aupiais, age 15, of Pietermaritzburg slipped from the side of a rubber duck and fell as the driver of the inflatable boat made in at Midmar Dam on Sunday 17 December. His head hit the prop and his body disappeared before rescue attempts could be made. Divers attempted to find the body which was recovered Monday afternoon.
• 19 Dec 2006 Livingston Daily (Michigan) “Defense Witness : Blame the Lack of Lights” reports on a trial involving 23 July 2005 accident that killed one person and caused a cripling injury to another. An inboard “speedboat” ran over a pontoon boat with 13 on board after midnight on Hamburg Township Lake. Testimony suggested the injured man may have been struck on the head by the propeller of the speedboat as it passed over them.
• 16 Dec 2006 Paradise Post (California) “Man Gets 180 Days for Boat Accident” reports an update on a 9 July 2006 accident at Lake Oroville which has since gone to court. A Butte County judge sentenced the boat operator to 180 days in jail and 3 years probation (only 30 days of the jail time are to be served unless probation conditions are violated). Plus the operator will complete 400 hours of community service and teach a boating safety education class. The 24 foot MasterCraft with a least 12 people on board, had two women thrown from the boat after a sharp turn. They were both struck by the propeller. One suffered “from injuries to her arm, leg and back” while the other “suffered more severe injuries, including multiple skull fractures, damage to the frontal lobe of her brain and the loss of her left eye.” Her father, of Paradise, spoke about “how the accident had impacted his family s life. With his voice breaking, he described the extent of his daughter s injuries and how she may need care for the rest of her life.” A family friend “described how difficult the ordeal had been for the family, both emotionally and financially.” Before issuing the sentence, the judge “commented about how difficult the case was and how devastating it was to all parties involved. These injuries to the two women are horrific, he said. The monetary and emotional costs are cataclysmic.”
• D 16 Dec 2006 Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia) ” Family Pleads Don’t Blame the Skipper” reports a fatal Australian propeller accident on the night of Thursday 14 December in which Sandy Crellin, 46 years old of Labrador, fell from a boat into the Coomera River and was struck by on of the twin propellers on a 10 meter Mustang boat. Her boyfriend was driving the boat and has been charged with driving a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, however the family does not blame him. The accident happened about 10:30pm with several people onboard for a Christmas party. They were going about 4 knots near Paradise Point when she tripped, fell in from the duckboard, and was killed instantly.
• D 19 Nov 2006 Sun-Herald (FL) “VFD’s Marine Rescue Unit Makes Big Splash” reports Venice Fire Dept has a fireboat, a jet ski, and a RIB to respond to 15 to 20 water rescues a year, that sometimes also involve the use of Coast Guard vessels and helicopters. The article includes the story of the rescue of fisherman who fell overboard about 3 years ago. They found his body floating in the water badly cut, “apparently by the boat’s propeller”, and the boat running in circles.
• 11 Nov 2006 Forbes.com “Ind. Man in Boat Accident Saved by Son” reports an AP news story from Bloomington Indiana of a Wednesday Nov 8th accident on Lake Monroe in which M.K. Pickel, a 49 year old man from Bloomington, was operating a boat he had been working on. Mr. Pickel’s boat “lurched to the left”, he was ejected and struck by the propeller and his left leg was partially severed below the knee. His 17 year old son who was following in another boat was able to pull him from the water into the second boat, a very difficult task. Mr. Pickel’s lower left leg was later surgically removed.
• 10 Nov 2006 AGI Online (Italy) “44 Immigrants Arrived in Lampedusa Last Night” reports from Palmero that a group of illegal immigrants on two boats landed on the island on Lampedusa. The first boat was sighted about 11:30 pm November 9th and they were eventually rescued by the Coast Guard early the next morning. The Coast Guard found a man and a woman onboard with a foot injury “probably caused by the boat’s propeller”. “The man was flown to the island’s emergency department onboard a Navy helicopter and might be eventually taken to Palermo’s plastic surgery centre.”
• D 1 Nov 2006 VDare Blog “Mexican Microcosm: The Unsolved Death Of Kirsty MacColl” reports 83 year old Jean MaColl continues to fight for more information surrounding the suspicious death of her daughter, a young recording artist named Kirsty MacColl, by a propeller strike on 18 December 2000. She had gone scuba diving off Cozumel Island with a friend and a local dive master. That afternoon a large powerboat headed directly toward he two sons. She swam to one an moved him out of the way. He was struck but not seriously injured. She then grabbed her other son saving him, but she was “killed instantly, her body nearly sliced in half by the propeller.” Its now almost six years later and per Jean MaColl, the Mexican government has still not provided a full accounting of the incident. A question remains of who was behind the wheel of the boat that struck Kirsty. Was it a boat hand or the wealthy businessman he worked for? We later devoted a full post to this accident at Kirsty MacColl Boat Propeller Accident.
• 25 Oct 2006 Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) “Caught: Conman Foster’s Free Run Finally Ends” reports a notorious conman from Australia was trying to elude police in Fiji yesterday (24 Oct). He had been staying in a Deuba villa. He ran from a vehicle and jumped into the river when he was spotted by police. The police comandeered a boat and gave chase. “He went under the boat and he hurt himself, probably from the propeller of the boat. He has a gash on his forehead and he’s recovering in [Suva’s Colonial War Memorial Hospital].”
• 20 Oct 2006 Daily Breeze (CA) “Former Mary Star of Sea High Athlete Killed in Accident” reports an update on the October 6th Lake Oroville accident (covered here by an eyewitness report and an article from ChicoER earlier) and provides the name of the victim, 22 year old Daniel Burkett III. Reports indicate Burkett was kneeling in the front of a boat towing a wakeboarder. The wakeboarder fell, the boat operator cut the throttle and began to turn to go pick them up and Mr. Burkett fell in, was ran over and died soon afterwards.
• 16 Oct 2006 CBC News Prince Edward Island (Canada) “Woman Loses Foot in Boating Accident” reports L. Brown, a 60-year old woman from Indian River, was on the diving platform of her 30 foot cruiser Friday evening October 13th as it was backing into its berth at the Silver Fox Marina in Summerside. She used her foot to push it away from another boat, lost her balance and fell in. When she came out her foot was gone. “Police believe her foot was caught in a propeller.” Her foot was later recovered by a scuba diver and it was taken to the hospital, but doctors were unable to re-attach it.
• 16 Oct 2006 Accident in Canada – 27 May 2008 Canadian Press “Four Canadian Troops Among 26 to Receive Bravery Awards From Governor General” reports Captain Dennis Mann of Victoria B.C. jumped in near Vancouver Island on 16 Oct 2006 to rescue a man whose life jacket was caught on the propeller. He performed artificial respiration underwater until he could free him.
• D 14 Oct 2006 The Daily News (Jacksonville NC) ” Carteret Teen Dies in Boating Accident ” reports a 16 year old boy, Curtis Styron, of Atlantic fell from a 21 foot boat he was driving when it hit a wake from another boat while fishing in Cedar Island Bay about half a mile from the boat ramp at approximately 8:30am Thursday 12 October. The boat began to circle and he was struck by the propeller. A friend in another boat saw him fall and went for help.
• DD 14 Oct 2006 Sun Sentinel (South Florida) “Boat Crash Victim’s Family Files Suit Over Defective Vessels, Sending Teen to Tow Them” reports James Noel-Pou and Monica Burguera and seven friends (9 people total) were on a 22 foot Sea Ray rented from Club Nautico on Saturday October 7th south of the Rickenbacker Causeway. The boat was being operated by a teenage “captain” supplied by Club Nautico (making 10 people on the craft). At some point the craft became disabled. The group also had a 22 foot Sea Ray also rented by the group of friends with 9 people on board. The teenage “captain” then takes the 22 foot Sea Ray and begins to tow the 21 foot Sea Ray back for assistance, along with a 15 foot Bayliner (also being towed) that had no relation to the group. The string of three boats now had ten people in the first boat (21 foot Sea Ray), nine people on the middle boat (22 foot Sea Ray) and two people in the last boat (15 foot Bayliner) and was traveling in a straight line toward the Rickenbacker Causeway. As they neared the Causeway, a 35 foot Intrepid cabin cruiser crashed into the middle boat (22 foot Sea Ray) with James Noel-Pou and Monica Burguera on board. Noel-Pou and Burguera were both killed by propeller injuries to the head. A lawsuit has been filed against the rental company and the operator of the Intreped.
• D 10 Oct 2006 ChicoER (California) “Fatal Boating Accident on Lake Oroville; Driver Booked for Felony DUI” reports on a Friday Oct 6th accident at Lake Oroville in which Daniel Lee Burkett, a 22 year old young man from Torrance, fell from a boat in the South Fork of the lake and was ran over, struck by the propeller, transported to Bidwell Marina by boat, and did not respond to CPR by CDF/Butte County Fire’s Engine 64 and First Responder paramedics at the scene. A Life Flight helicopter had been called but was cancelled when he failed to respond.
  We received an eyewitness report Sunday 8 October from a person that observed this accident. They reported the young man fell from the bow of the boat and was struck in the chest and killed by the propeller. We very much appreciated this report as it helped us later find the actual news reports.
• Sept 2006 MAIB (UK) Accident Flyer reports on a 31 July Canal Boat / Longboat fatal propeller accident in the UK. and warns boaters of the danger of propellers. An interesting discussion has since evolved on the Canal World Discussion Forums surronding this U.K. accident that mirrors some of the conversations in the U.S. concering the use of propeller injury avoidance devices / boater education / etc.
• 25 Oct 2006 Mohave Daily News (AZ,NV,CA) “Man Injured by Water Taxi During Swim” reports from Bullhead City that B. Embrey, a 45 year old many, was swimming in the Colorado River Tuesday 24 October about 9pm when he was hit by an American Express water taxi going about 5 mph. Mr. Embry was caught in the propeller and was freed by some of the water taxi’s passengers. He “received extensive lacerations to his buttocks” and was treated at Western Arizona Regional Medical Center and then flown to Las Vegas.
• D 24 Sept 2006 Daily Telegraph (Australia) “Sydney Survivor Tells of His Fear” reports on a major boating accident in Australia Saturday 16 September. A young couple (Steve Whiteoak and his date Linda Nichol) were in a violent collision with a “half cabin cruiser” out fishing with seven on board. The accident happened at Kangaroo Point, on the Georges River in Sydney’s south. Both boats swerved, but they still collided as dusk fell. Steve Whiteoak was killed by a propeller, Linda Nichol is in a coma with “horrific injuries”, several others were injured. Helicopters used infra-red technology to detect bodies in the water.
• D 19 Sept 2006 Star News Online (The Voice of Southeastern North Carolina) “Police Blotter” reports Holly Melissa Spears, age 27 of Wilmington NC, was in a small outboard boat on Town Creek at at the mouth of the Cape Fear River in Brunswick County about 2 pm Sunday Sept. 17th. The operator made an “abrupt turn”, she fell in and the boat went over her. She was struck by the propeller, “suffered head trauma”, and was pronounced dead in Wilmington.
• 19 Sept 2006 Tulsa World (Tulsa OK) “Firm Hired to Simulate Accident” reports from Grove that ATA Associates of Houston will be at Grand Lake on Sept 26-27 to inspect two boats involved in a collision resulting in the death of Murray McGarvey from propeller injuries back on July 30th. ATA will use the data to create a computer simulation of the accident.
• 18 Sept 2006 WFTV (Orlando Florida) “Boy Falls Out Of Boat, Cut By Propeller” reports from Volusia County that a 10 year old boy fell from a boat Sunday 17 Sept on the St. Johns River near Lemon Bluff Road at a boat ramp and “fell against the rotating propeller”. An eyewitness said, “I’ve been cut up like that before. I hope the boy is gonna be ok. It looked pretty nasty.”
  Other reports indicate he may be 11 years old, provide his name (K. Casey of Winter Park), and state he was taken to Halifax Medical Center.
• 9 September 2006 FWC Weekly Report (Chipley Bugle) (Florida) reports two teenage girls fell off a PWC offshore of a boat ramp on Deer Point Lake when an officer was nearby. A bass boat accompanying them came over to assist them and one of the girls was struck by the propeller on he leg and face. The “The victim suffered a broken leg, the loss of vision in one eye, and possible brain damage.”
  Another report in the same article mentions another Deer Point Lake accident in which two people were thrown from their boat and one of them received responded to a boating accident on Deer Point Lake in which two subjects were thrown from their vessel, with one receiving “lacerations to his arm and leg after being run over by the runaway vessel.” but Propellers were NOT specifically listed as the source of those injuries.
• 7 Sept 2006 Tulsa World (Tulsa OK) “DA Seeks Funds to Re-Enact Collision” reports prosecutors plan to request state funds to recreate a 30 July, 2006 propeller accident on Grand Lake that took the life of Murray McGarvey, a 30 year old man from Brunswick Georgia. He was in the back of a 27 foot Formula when it was hit by a 28 foot SeaRay 280 driven by a Stillwater OK man who reportedly left the scene after the accident. The impact is thought to have been on the starboard side near the stern of the Formula which threw Mr. Murray in the water. “An autopsy report states that Mr. Murray died of multiple chop injuries from one of the boat’s propellers…” Another passenger in the Formula was life flighted to a Tulsa hospital and later released.
• 6 Sept 2006 Bakersfield Californian “Boy Injured by Boat in Stable Condition” reports D. McEntire, an 11 year old boy from Bakersfield, was riding a knee boat being pulled by his father, a Bakersfield Fire Captain, on Shaver Lake when he was struck by the propeller of another boat. The boat that struck him did not stop. He is in a medically induced coma and expected to remain in it for another 5 to 7 days in Children’s Hospital of Central California in Madera County.
• 6 Sept 2006 The Daily News (Greenville, Belding and Montcalm County, Michigan) “Eight Injured in Early Monday Boat Accident” reports from Winfield Township of a high speed night time collision of a speed boat with a pontoon in which eight people escaped serious injury. About 12:21 am Monday 4 Sept on Indian Lake, the Fisher pontoon was anchored about 300 feet from the Lake’s west side with 5 aboard. The speed boat hit them head on and went completely over it lengthwise. One lady reported she thought the propeller was coming at her and there was nothing she could do. This accident represents another “near miss” propeller injury situation.
• D 5 Sept 2006 Union Leader (New Hampshire) ” Teen Unable to Revive NY Angler” reports Daniel Liberatore, of New York, was fishing with a friend on Island Pond off Route 123 in a small aluminum boat on 4 September. About 10:30 am, the boat turned over, and his sweatshirt became entrapped in the propeller. A nearby teenager spent ten minutes trying to free him. Once freed, he administered CPR, along with his father. Mr Liberatore was pronounced dead at Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene.
• 4 Sept – Labor Day Monday – Holiday – traditionally the Memorial Day to Labor Day boating season comes to an end in much of the U.S.
• 4 Sept 2006 KVOA News 4 (Tucson AZ) “104 Lake Havasu Labor Day Weekend Arrests; Some Injured” reports on general chaos at Lake Havasu over Labor Day Weekend, including an emergency fire department run Saturday evening Sept 2nd about 7 pm to three propeller injuries (not sure if all same accident or independent events). “One man reportedly suffered lacerations to his head, another to his leg and a third to a finger.”
• 3 Sep 2006 WSAW News 7 (Wausua WI) “No Holiday For Boat Patrols” reports on holiday boating from the perspective of a Boat Patrolman on Lake Minoccqua. His report included he’s seen a young girl injured by a boat propeller and several close calls in the last few days.
• 3 Sep 2006 News Observer (Raleigh NC) “Returning the Favor” reports a boy was holding a ski rope, preparing to wrap it up after wakeboarding 26 June 2004, when the rope became caught in the propeller and tightened around his upper arm. He was life flighted to UNC Memorial Hospital at 12:30 am Sunday. Another young boy he knew in passing became his friend as he worked through his difficulties with the accident, including having his left arm amputated. Both were 7th graders at the time of the accident. The story follows their relationship to the present.
• 3 Sept 2006 CBS4 Boston (MA) “Middleton Man Drowns After Being Thrown From Boat” reports a 37 year old man from Middleton died Saturday Sept 2nd when he and another man were near Bakers Island (close to Marblehead). They had been pulling up a lobster pot, when the rope became caught in the prop and stalled the motor in rough seas. A sailboat saw them as they were drifting toward rocks and notified the Coast Guard. A wave pushed them onto the rocks and ejected both men, one drowned.
• 2 Sept 2006 Missouri State Water Patrol News Release ID: N07060161 reports J. Bernard, 26 year old male from Sweet Springs MO, “jumped off the back of the boat while it was still running and hit the prop causing cuts to both his lower legs.” Accident occured about 4:08 pm in a run about boat at Anderson Hollow Cove on Lake of the Ozarks.
• 28 Aug 2006 Hubert Field (Military AirField in FL News) “16TH SOW First Responders Aid Accident Victim” reports firefighters and security personnell from the 16th Special Operations Wing plus Okaloosa County Emergency Services personnel helped with a civilian boat propeller accident victim near the base about 3pm today. He (the vicitim) was Life Flighted to an area hospital.
• 28 Aug 2006 KOIN News 6 (Oregon) ” Boat Propeller Severs Woman’s Leg” reports from Portland Oregon that V. Chalfant, a 40 year old woman, was riding in a boat pulling a wakeboarder on the Columbia River on Sunday 27 August. When the person fell, the boat operator swung around to pick them up and she (Chalfant) fell off the bow and passed under the boat to be struck by the propeller. The boat operator dove in and rescued her, but her “left leg had been severed at the knee”. Divers searched for her leg in hopes doctors could re-attach it, but they were not able to find it.
• 28 Aug 2006 Mercury Register (California) “Recovery Slow, Emotional for Boating Accident Victim” reports an update on the condition of N. Bell, a 22 year old young woman, injured on Lake Oroville July 9th at the North Fork of the Feather River known as French Creek by a wakeboard boat propeller. She was thrown from the bow of the craft when it “went around” to pickup a fallen wakeboarder. Miss Bell spent three weeks in a coma at Enloe Medical Center, endured emergency surgery and several weeks of recovering at a specialized medical facility at Kenfield. Plastic surgery is now being considered on her face (she also lost an eye). She and a friend were both thrown from the boat and both were struck. Her friend, B. Walenburg, sustained moderate injuries and has since returned to work. In addition to Miss Bell’s medical injuries, as predicted by therapists, emotional scars are also providing challenges for her as she begins to reunite with old friends.
• 23 Aug 2006 Guardian (United Kingdom) “Puerto Rico Investigates Manatee Deaths” reports an AP report from San Juan, Puerto Rico that five mantatees (four males and one female) were found around San Juan Bay between Wednesday and Friday (Aug 16-18) with broken ribs and punctured lungs. Early indications are they may have all been killed by the same large propeller driven boat. An investigaion will be conducted.
• 20 Aug 2006 Seattle Times (WA) “W20 Aug 2006 Seattle Times (WA) “Water-Skier’s Leg Caught in Propeller” reports from Horsehead Bay, Pierce County that a 12 year old girl from Pierce County fell water skiing behind a boat Saturday night 19 August in Horsehead Bay in Carr Inlet. She was ran over by another boat about 8pm. She became entangled in the propeller of this second boat. “Rescuers from the Gig Harbor Fire Department held the girl’s head above water for about an hour while divers worked frantically to remove the propeller and free her leg …” She was later life flighted to Harborview Medical Center. A 16 year old young man (C. Balkman) is still recovering in that hospital from a propeller injury on Lake Sammamish two weeks ago.
  A later 22 Aug report in the News Tribune (Tacoma WA) provided the young girls name as A. Jonez and said the boat that entrapped her had a dual prop outdrive.
• D 19 Aug 2006 Lewisville Leader Star “Marcus High School Cheerleader Killed on Lewisville Lake” reports Britteny Lindt, age 15 of Highland Village, was riding an inner tube behind a jet ski about 6:30pm Friday 18 August near the Lewisville Lake Tower Bay Park and Ramp. Britteny was a cheerleader for Marcus High School. A boat allegedly swerved to avoid hitting something else and ran over her. She “died at 6:40 p.m. of propeller chop wounds to the neck and chest.”
• D 18 Aug 2006 Times-Picayune (LA) “Grand Jury Declines to Charge Driver” reports on several cases, including on resulting from the 4 July 2005 propeller accident in which Laura Bergeron, age 25 of Marrero, was riding behind the driver of a jetski about 1.5 miles southwest of Bayou Liberty Road in Bayou Bonfouca. It was morning and they were headed toward Lake Pontchartrain with four friends when the jet ski turned into the boat’s path. She was killed instantly when struck by the propeller, the jet ski operator received severe leg and facial lacerations. The driver of the boat is charged with negligent homicide.
• D 18 Aug 2006 KOTV (News On – Oklahoma) “Cause Of Death Released In Fatal Grand Lake Boating Accident” reports Murray McGarvey, age 35 of Georgia, was on Grand Lake near Drowning Creek Cove celebrating his godson’s birthday when he was thrown from a boat when it collided with another boat. The Tulsa County Medical Examiner says he was killed by the 2nd boat’s propeller before he went into the water. The accident was originally a hit and run, but the owner of the second boat has since been identified as a resident of Stillwater. Other reports indicate this accident happened on July 30th.
• 16 Aug 2006 Powell River Peak (British Columbia Canada) “Boating Accident” reports a boy, age 14 of Washington State, was riding in an inflatable boat in Desolation Sound near Walsh Cove on Thursday 10 August when the boat hit a log and threw him into the water. The boat then ran over him, the “propeller severed his arm as well as causing additional injuries.” Two Coast Guard vessels were dispatched to the site, along with a helicopter. He was hoisted from a Coast Guard vessel and flown to a hospital in Campbell River.
• 16 Aug 2006 MyKawartha.com (Canada) “Elise Saved the Day by Stopping Runaway Boat” reports Elsie Proulx, age 6 of Ottawa, was boating with her dad and other family members on 5 August on their 17-foot Richardson Aqua Craft on Catchacoma Lake, when her father’s hat blew off. When he took his hands off the wheel, the boat veered sharply, tossing him, his wife and their 8 year old daughter into the water. The boat turned toward them and its propeller hit the mother “causing cuts to both her legs.” Elsie (still onboard) was told how to shutdown the boat using the kill switch and she did. The county OPP is recommending she be honored “for saving the lives of family members.”
• 16 Aug 2006 KXAN (Texas) “Dive Search For Missing Man Proves Fruitless” reports a 26 year old man fell from a moving fishing boat on Lake Travis about 300 feet offshore near Volente Beach just after 7:30 pm Tuesday 15 August. Dive teams continued searching Wednesday morning, but did not find him. “Whether the man was hit by the boat when he fell overboard or struck by propeller is yet to be determined.”
• 16 Aug 2006 Shanghai Daily (China) “Headless Body Shocks Swimmer”reports a man from Shanghai was swimming in the Yangtze River near a dam in Chongming about 10 pm Sunday 13 August when he noticed another swimmer nearby. He swam over to greet them, and discovered it was a floating headless body. He became terrified and needed assistance from his friends to return to shore. Police estimate the body could have been dead for ten days. A legal medical expert checked the body and said the body’s head MAY have been severed by the propeller of a passing boat.
• 14 Aug 2006 Channel5Belize.com (Belize) “Placencia Boat Collision Leaves Woman Dead” reports Josefa Gomez, a 56 year old woman, was fishing was part of a party of five people fishing in the Placencia Lagoon aboard the skiff “Estrellitas” about 2pm Sunday 13 August. “Estrellitas” was involved in a collision with another boat near a curve in the channel. “It is believed that Gomez was struck by a propeller”, she received a large head wound, was rushed to Southern Regional Hospital, but was dead on arrival.
• 11 Aug 2006 Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio) “Burn Patients Awash in Fun” reports on an annual Fire Truck Day with burn survivors at a summer “burn camp” for children. One of the counselors, Amy Dillon of New Philadelphia, now age 19, was riding a towed inner tube on Lake Erie when she was 11 (approx 1998). Her right leg was caught in the propeller and she was treated at the burn unit of Akron Children’s Hospital. She attended the camp as a youth, and is now a counselor.
• D 8 Aug 2006 Herald Net (Wisconsin) “Everett Woman Dies at Alta Lake in Boat Accident” reports from Pateros that Olga V. Davydenko, age 21 of Everett WI, fell overboard after a boat made a sharp turn on Alta lake, just west of Pateros Saturday morning 5 August. She was sitting in the front of the boat, and was struck by the propeller after she fell in. The lady was taken to Okanogan-Douglas Hospital in Brewster and died there.
• 7 Aug 2006 Beaver Dam Daily Citizen (Wisconsin) reports Cooley was kneeling on a seat and ejected, and struck in the leg by the propeller causing a “serious gash”. We will follow up on this report for some more info when we get some time.
• 6 Aug 2006 Coloradoan (Ft. Collins CO) “Van Horn Working His Way Back: Rams Fullback Was Injured in Boating Accident Last Year” reports Colorado State University football player, Kyle Van Horn, was injured by a propeller on 23 July 2005. He and some friends were boating on Pueblo Reservoir. His friends began to jump off the front of the boat as it was underway. He decided to follow, but slipped as he prepared to jump. As he went under the boat, he tucked into a ball to protect his head, knowing he would be close to the propeller. When he was hit, at first he did not think it was too bad, then he found he had been knicked in the elbow, and struck in the shoulder and knee. “My leg was cut wide open,” he said. “I knew I was hurt pretty bad.” He is still trying to recover, but able to attend the fall football camp at Colorado State.
• 5 August 2006 Chattanooga Times/Free Press (TN) “Support Wells Up in Dunlap for Girl Injured in Boat Accident” reports a 10 year old girl, E.Frazey of Sequatchi County, was swimming at a picnic at Harrison Bay last weekend when “her head was slashed by the propeller of a runaway boat.” A man had been working on his boat, started it, it automatically went into gear, and did a 360. He turned it off, but the prop was still spinning and hit her in the head.
• 5 Aug 2006 King County Journal (WA) “Teen Struck in Leg in Boating Accident: 16-Year-Old Remains in Critical Condition” reports from Issaquah a 16 year old boy was swimming with his father Thursday August 3rd about 9:30 pm near a buoy. He was ran over by a 19-foot ski boat driven by a family member that did not see them in the water, “the boat’s propeller struck his leg, nearly severing it.” A canoe brought him to shore. He was in critical condition Friday at Harborview Medical Center. A deputy stressed the importance of boating safety at “Seafair weekend.” He also said, “Seafair, it seems like we always have someone hit by a (propeller)…”
• 4 August 2006 WCCO Channel 4 (Minneapolis/St.Paul MN) “Neighbor’s Quick Thinking Helped Save Teen’s Life” reports T. Hartman, an 18 year old young man, was riding a tube on Christmas Lake in Shorewood, MN Wednesday evening August 2nd. The boat pulling him turned and he was struck by the propeller of a second boat that ran over him. His arm was severed. A neighbor used Hartman’s shirt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding which may have saved his life.
  A local TV station, KARE11, has some additional video coverage of the accident.
• 4 Aug 2006 The Capitol (MD) “Boat Propeller Injures Kent Island Teenager” reports a 15 year from Stevensville old boy was tubing near Kent Island Wednesday 2 August, when he attempted to board the boat from the rear, the propeller was still turning, “the propeller cut his upper thigh and buttocks.” He was tubing with two other teenagers in a 25 foot Sea Ray just south of the Bay Bridge. The boat operator reported he thought he had shifted the boat to neutral. The boy was life flighted to Shock Trauma Center at University Hospital in Baltimore.
  The same article reports ANOTHER ACCIDENT involving a O. Glick, a 19 year old man from Pennsylvania. He was boarding a boat after water skiing at Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County and “came in contact with the propeller”. The article also interviews Janet DePaoli of SPIN.
• D 3 Aug 2006 Express and Star: The Chronicle (UK) “Holidaymaker Boat Tragedy” reports a 59 year old man from Somerset was on a canal boat (long boat) with several family members at Alrewas on a canal near Lichfield. He was maneuvering the Canaltime Narrowboats Timeshare boat below a lock and fell in about 4pm Tuesday 31 July. He was caught under the boat and became trapped in the propeller. Several medical and rescue professionals were called to the scene, but he died on the scene.
• 3 Aug 2006 KnoxNews (Knoxville TN) ” Sevierville Woman Injured by Boat Propeller” reports from Dandridge, C.A. Panzera, a 51 year old woman from Sevierville, was riding in a boat while another person was skiing on Douglas Reservoir just below Cowboy’s Restaurant about 6:30 pm Tuesday 1 August. When the skier fell, the boat turned sharply to pick them back up. Panzera fell overboard and was struck by the propeller. She was seriously injured with “numerous lacerations and other injuries”. A nearby bass boat helped them get her to shore and she was life flighted to University of Tennessee Medical Center.
• 1 Aug 2006 Palladium (Richmond IN) “Man Still Hospitalized After Boating Accident” reports from Liberty Indiana, J.L. Hill, a 44 year old Rushville man, was injured on Brookville Lake Monday night July 31st. He fell from a 17 foot bass boat and was struck by its propeller “on his back and the back of his head”. He and two relatives on the boat were returning the boat ramp around 10:30 pm. He fell during a sharp turn to the right. They were able to load him in the boat and took him by boat to Sagamore Resort where they were met by emergency personnel. He was life flighted by Miami Valley Care Flight to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton OH.
• D 1 Aug 2006 Twin Cities.com – Pioneer Press (St. Paul MN) “Man, 57, Dies After Boating Accident in Forest County” is an AP report on an accident at Pine Lake near Hiles. Sunday morning July 30th, Kenneth De Bruin, age 57 of Combined Locks, fell from a boat, his arm hit the propeller. A friend took him to shore. He was taken to a local hospital and moved to Appleton Medical Center where he died.
• 31 July 2006 Missouri State Water Patrol News Release N07060115 reports W. Howard, age 26 of Kirkwood MO, had been tubing and was trying to get back into the boat. The operator thought it was in neutral but it was actually in reverse. He was climbing the ladder, slipped and his leg hit the prop, and taken to Cox South with serious injuries. The accident happened on Table Rock near Branson.
• 30 Jul 2006 TC Palm: Fishing and Boating (FL) “Lobster Mini-Season a Success Despite Many Egg-Bearing Females” reports on the recent lobster harvest and mentions a diver surfaced Wednesday morning July 26th off Boynton Beach as “was injured by the boat’s propeller” per a spokesman from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
  a related report in the 28 July Palm Beach Post indicates the injured diver was 51 year old D. Savage and he sustained “cuts on his head and shoulder” when he was hit by the propeller of a 45 foot boat named “Katala” about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. It says the operator left one of the engines operating in reverse after backing up to pick him up about a mile southeast of Boynton Inlet. The prop struck his head, shoulder and scuba tank which shot him from the side of the boat, possibly saving his life. This same source says two other divers “were cut by the propellers of their boats” Wednesday morning July 26th after jumping into Florida Bay to look for lobster near Marathon per the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
• 29 July The Gazette (Eastern Iowa) “Woman Airlifted After Boating Accident” reports from Coralville Lake, Iowa that M. Himschoot, a 27 year old woman, was preparing to ride a tube when the boat was accidentally put in reverse causing her “leg to become lacerated by the propeller”. She was life flighted from Mehaffey Boat Ramp to University Hospitals.
• 28 Jul 2006 Simi Valley Acorn (CA) “Out-of-Control Lifeguard Boat Nearly Takes Lives of Two Local Teens” reports a near miss where a lifeguard boat went over the top of some people being rescued. Two lifeguard from Zuma Beach were already with the teens who had been carried out by a current and were bringing them back with floatation devices when Malibu Baywatch, a 35-foot rescue ship used by Los Angeles County lifeguards. went right over their heads (the heads of the boys and three other people). One of the Zuma Beach lifeguards was credited with sinking one of the teens to prevent him from being hit by the propeller.
• 27 July 2006 Atlanta Journal Constitution (GA) “Boating Accident Survivor Helps Red Cross Gain Blood Donors” reports on the recovery of Katie Wootton, an 18 year old girl that lost an arm to a propeller injury in April 2005 on Lake Allatoona. She is now a spokesperson for the American Red Cross and its blood drive campaigns. She had stood up that day to remove a wraparound skirt covering her bathing suit, just as the boat hit a wave, fell overboard, her head first hit the bottom of the boat, then the propeller hit her “darkening the water with blood.” She was life flighted to Grady Memorial Hospital. The hospital called her mother who wanted to speak with her. She was unable to speak, but wrote one word, “PAIN.” She suffered “a severed Achilles’ tendon, a broken ankle, a broken leg and multiple lacerations”, plus her left arm was amputated at the elbow. She is still going through plastic surgery to remove some of the scars.
• 27 Jul 2006 Lumina (Wrightsville Beach NC) “Injured Boater Begins Recovery Process” reports B. Todd of Wilmington was ejected from his 24 foot Sea Ray Wednesday July 19th about 8 pm when it hit the wake of another boat while he was trying to secure the swim ladder. The accident happened in the Banks Channel. “The prop hit him and severed his right leg above the knee and struck him on the right side of his head.” Mr Todd has now began that long process of rehabilitation. The accident, reported here earlier, occurred only 100 yards from a Coast Guard station at Wrightsville Beach so help was on the scene almost instantly and he was airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center. His severed limb has not yet been found. The article discusses the process that will be used to fit him with a prosthetic limb in the future, his current status, and a possible sighting of his missing limb.
• 25 July 2006 KFOR (Oklahoma City TV station) KFOR 6 AM News reports C. Opitz, a boy jumped into Lake Stanley Draper on Sunday 23 July to cool off. He was sliced from knee to ankle by the propeller of the boat he was with, they were unaware he was in the water.
• D 25 Jul 2006 ic North Wales.co.uk (United Kingdom) “Little Boy Dies on Family Day Out on the Beach” reports on the death of a young boy (apparently NOT propeller related) and mentions “In another incident, a woman was seriously injured by propeller blades after she fell off a boat near Llanddwyn island, Anglesey.”
  Other reports indicate she was a 35 year old woman from east Africa. She was injured in the head and life flighted by an RAF Sea King helicopter to a hospital in Bangor.
• 24 Jul 2006 Thunder Bay’s Source (Ontario Canada) “Youth Struck by Boat Propeller” reports a 13 year old boy was ejected from a 16 foot boat when it collided with another boat on Clay Lake near Dryden. The operator immediately cut the throttles, but the boy had already been struck by the propeller. He was taken to Dryden District Hospital and then flown to Duluth.
• 22 Jul 2006 TV 7-4 (WPBN) (Michigan) “7 Year Old Hospitalized After Boating Accident” reports a man from Lewiston was operating a boat with four children aboard. Just before 3 pm Thursday 21 July on Tee Lake, he turned to avoid another boat and a seven year old fell from the bow and into the path of the propeller. The young child was life flighted to a hospital, their condition is unknown at this time.
• 21 July 2006 News 14 Carolina (NC) “Wilmington Man Loses Leg in Boating Accident” reports B. Todd, a man from Wilmington, had his “leg severed at the knee” Thursday 20 July when he fell from the bow of a 23 foot boat when it hit the wake of another boat and was struck by the propeller. He was taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center and also received almost five dozen stitches for facial cuts.
  Other reports indicate Mr. Todd was from Mendenhall Drive, the accident happened about 7:45 pm Wednesday (July 19) in Banks Channel, his right leg was the one injured, his face took 58 stitches, he was stowing a dive ladder and anchor at the time of the accident. The accident happened about 100 yards north of the Coast Guard’s Wrightsville Beach station which was immediately on the scene. He was air lifted to the hospital.
• D 18 July 2006 Anchorage Daily News (accident in Italy) “Italian Iditarod Musher Killed by Boat Propeller” reports Domencio “Dodo” Perri, a 48 year old Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race veteran of Italy, was diving near Isle of Ponza off the Italian coast on July 14th when he was struck and killed by a boat propeller.
• 15 July 2006 Durant Daily Democrat (Oklahoma) “Durant Man Perishes is Auto Accident” reports Michael Allen Stephens, age 36 of Pottsboro TX, was in a beached 52 foot houseboat in Lake Texoma Friday afternoon July 14th on the west side of North Island in Marshall County. A propeller became entangled in the anchor line, Mr Stephens got in the approximately 4 feet deep water to go underneath the boat to untangle the propeller. When he failed to surface, passengers jumped in, found him under the boat, pulled him to the surface and performed CPR. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Texoma Medical Center in Denison TX.
• D 14 July 2006 The Reporter (Belize) “Boat Captain Dies, 41 Tourists Safe” reports two fast launches collided on the Belize New River Sunday 9 July. Vicente Avila of Tower Hill, Orange Walk, was Captain of Christina, the smaller boat. They were returning from the Maya ruins of Lamanai with 14 American tourists. As they entered a curve, a larger boat with 27 Italian tourists heading for the same ruins just visited by Christina, collided with them head on a blind bend in the river. Mr. Avila, Captain of the Christina was thrown from the boat and “received serious chop wounds” from his boat’s outboard motor propeller. He was taken to Northern Regional Hospital and later died.
• 12 July 2006 Marin Independent Journal (California) “Propeller Hacks Marin Boy in Boat Accident” reports about 8 pm Saturday July 8th, a 15 year old young man from Marin was on Donner Lake riding a tube. After he fell and the boat stopped to pick him up, “The boat accelerated and the victim was sucked under the rear of the boat by the propeller and he sustained significant injuries to his legs.” He was lifeflighted to Washoe Medical Center in Reno.
• 12 July 2006 Mercury Register (California) “Boating Accident Leaves Two Ridge Women Severely Injured” reports from Lime Saddle that two 22 year old women (one of Paradise and one of Magalia) fell from the bow of a crowded boat about 5:30 pm Sunday 9 July on the North Fork of the Feather River (known as French Creek). They were swept under the boat and struck by the propeller. “One suffered injuries to her head, the other to her back and an arm.” The were both lifeflighted to Enloe Medical Center in Chico. State Parks rangers at Lake Oroville are investigating the incident. This accident resulted in a legal case we covered at Robert Bell v. Mastercraft Boat Company.
• 12 July 2006 The Bahama Journal “Human Smuggling Charge” reports an update on the 5 November 2005 accident that occurred as part of human smuggling operation that began in the Bahamas. The captain of a boat was trying to reach the U.S. with 8 illegal aliens. As it approached land in Broward County, he told them to jump into deep, rough, ocean waters. One was seriously injured when struck by the boat’s propeller. Three others drowned trying to reach shore.
• D 10 July 2006 AGI Online (Italy) “Portofino: Celibrations, 20-Yr-Old Torn to Pieces by Propeller” reports from Genoa Italy on the death of a young man out celebrating the World Cup Soccer victory. Carlo La Cavenaghi of Cernasco Sul Naviglio was a few hundred meters from Portofino on a raft with a 20 year old friend. They had decided to go out to sea for a swim at dawn after a night of celebrating. About 5:30 am this morning, his friend lost control of the small boat, La Cavenaghi fell in, the boat began spinning out of control and “the propeller of the engine allegedly tore the boy to pieces.” His corpse was recovered by Genoa firemen.
• 10 Jul 2006 Telegraph (United Kingdom UK) ” Jet Ski Man’s Leg Cut Off by Propeller” reports a 40 year old man from Southhampton, part of a party of seven people, near Hythe Marina, Southampton Water was a passenger on a jet ski traveling along with a speedboat to Hythe Marina to refuel. As they entered the marina, he “entered” the water and swam to the rear of the boat to climb onto its rear deck. “The engines were running and the propellers were turning and it would appear the person’s legs were drawn under by the propellers.” He lost his right leg and part of his left. He was life flighted to Southampton General Hospital. A representative of the Solent Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, said: “The scale of the injuries is rare in our experience.” Other reports of the accident talk about it being the result of a collision between the two craft, or him being caught between the two craft.
• 7 July 2006 AAP (Australian Associated Press) “SA: Oyster Farm Fined Over Injury to Worker” reports from Adelaide that Southern Cross Marine Culture, a South Australian oyster farm on the state’s west coast, has been fined after a worker was injured by a propeller. At Denial Bay in April 2004, a 30 year old worker fell from an oyster punt used to ferry baskets of oysters to the farm from shore.He was struck by the propeller and “suffered six fractures to his face, including to his jaw and skull, up to five broken ribs, a punctured lung and spinal injuries” and later diagnosed with with post traumatic stress disorder.
• 6-12 July issue Russell County Times Journal (Lake Cumberland Kentucky) reports two major Lake Cumberland accidents. On July 1st, A. Weaver, a 28 year old woman from Plainfield IN, dove in from a 21 foot boat at Seventy Six Falls to retrieve something from the water, the boat backed up “sucking her into the propeller as she swam to the boat.” She was life flighted to UK Chandler Medical Center with 13 lacerations on her left side. Her left arm and left leg were injured.
  On July 2nd, R. Uebel, a 45 year old man from Ohio, was in an 18 foot boat departing from Seventy Six Falls nearing Grinder Hill Marina. He was “bounced out” and ran over by the boat. He was “struck by the lower unit outboard and had severe injuries to his head, chest, and torso.” (note propeller is not specifically mentioned in the second accident). He was similarly life flighted to UK Chandler Medical Center and remains in critical condition.
• D 6 July 2006 KVUE (Austin TX) “Woman Who Died in Lake May Have Hit Boat” reports Mary Maiella, age 23, initially appeared to have drown after going down a slide on a party barge at Devil’s Cove on Saturday July 1st. The boat rented from “Just for Fun” is now thought to have possibly been backing up when she hit the water. Her body was recovered Tuesday July 4th.
  More information on this accident is available from an Austin American Statesman 6 July article which reports Devils’ Cove is on Lake Travis, she went down the slide about 10pm Saturday night and was struck by the propeller as the boat was backing up. Just for Fun Watercraft Rentals supplied the pilot for the barge. The article includes a photo of similar barges.
• D 6 Jul 2006 Yakima Herald (WA) “Fund Set Up for Man Critically Injured by Boat” reports M. Jordan, a 25 year old Yakima man, was hit by a propeller on Sunday July 2nd while operating a PWC near Roza Dam in the Roza Recreation area about 15 miles north of Yakima. The PWC he was riding was ran over by a ski boat. His injuries included “brain damage from a skull fracture, loss of his left eye, left arm, a kidney, his spleen and parts of his large and small intestine. He underwent surgery Wednesday to remove muscular tissue in his left leg, which was also severely damaged.” A fund has been setup for him at Banner Bank. His father indicates he will be in the hospital for months and require years of physical therapy.
  Update – The young man died 10 days after the accident.
• 6 July 2006 St. Petersburg Times ” Deputies Stay Busy on Fourth Holiday” reports K. Tadema, a 27 year old male, on a rental boat on Weeki Wachee River decided to jump overboard while his friend was driving on July 4th. “The boat’s propeller ran over Tadema, leaving a deep cut to his buttocks.” He was taken to Oak Hill Hospital.
• 4 July 2006 Missouri State Water Patrol News Release N07060080 reports P. Frankoviglia of Kansas City MO was one of ten people in an idling boat. He dove over the bow, the operator was afraid he would hit him so he reversed the boat, not realizing the soon to be victim had swam under the boat. Frankoviglia was then struck by the prop, and life flighted to Cox South Hospital in Springfield MO with serious injuries. The accident happened on Table Rock about 6:20 pm near Kimberling City.
• D? 4 July 2006 Courier Journal.com (Louisville KY) “Indiana Boy, 5, Fatally Injured by Boat” is an AP report of Zachary Hilgemeier, a five year old boy from Brownsburg, was being towed in an inner tube at Cataract Lake Saturday afternoon July 1st, when he fell and was struck by a 19 foot ski boat towing another person on a tube. Officers said “He was struck by the boatís propeller or another part of the engine.” He was life flighted to Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis and pronounced dead.
  Related Report – 3 July 2006 IndyStar (Indianapolis IN) “Boat Accident Kills Brownsburg Boy” reports five year old Zachary Hilgemeier of Brownsburg, was riding on a tube behind a pontoon boat, fell off, and was struck by a 19 foot boat and its propeller on a lake near Cloverdale about 4:15 pm Saturday July 1st at the Lieber State Recreation Area. He died later at Wishard Memorial Hospital.
  Another report indicates the pontoon crossed in front of a 19-foot Caravelle ski boat also pulling a tube, the boy fell, and was struck by the Caravelle. Several reports indicate being struck by a boat and possibly by a propeller.
• 4 July 2006 The Birmingham News (AL) “Four Dead in Boating Accident, Drownings” reports a Saturday July 1st accident involving a 18 foot power boat going over a pontoon boat in which five passengers on the pontoon were injured and one was killed, plus three were injured on the ski boat. Propeller injuries are NOT specifically mentioned, but MAY have occurred. The accident happened north of Montgomery on Lake Jordan. Michael Haslam, age 41, on the pontoon boat was killed. The power boat hit the left rear of the pontoon boat.
• 3 July 2006 WJACTV (PA) “Boating Accident Injures Child” reports from Somerset County a boy tubing on Lake Stonycreek just before 8 pm Sunday July 2nd fell from a tube. Before his boat could return, another boat ran over him. The propeller cut his leg in three places.” He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.
• 3 July South Bend Tribune (MI) “Elkhart Boater Injured on Shavehead Lake” reports D. Hamilton, a 43 year old male from Elkhart, was making a turn on Shavehead Lake in Porter Township about 5pm and the boat hit a large wave throwing him into the water. The boat’s propeller struck his leg. He was treated for injuries by Porter Township Ambulance and transported to Elkhart General Hospital.
• 3 July 2006 The News-Press (Southwest FL) “Southwest Florida News Briefs” reports J. Adams , a 36 year old man from Naples, was injured near New Pass in Bonita Springs about 2 pm Saturday July 1st. He was a passenger in a flats boat that struck the wake of another boat. Mr. Adams and the boat operator were thrown from the boat. He (Mr. Adams) tried to get back into the circling boat, but the propeller cut his leg as he tried to climb in. The boat eventually ran aground in the bay near the New Pass bridge and Dog Beach. Mr. Adams also suffered a broken leg and was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital.
• 2 July 2006 Missouri State Water Patrol News Release #N07060069 reports M. Hogerty,an 8 year old boy from Prairie Village KS, was tubing. The boat operator was pulling two kids, one fell, the operator pulled around to block an oncoming boat from the kid that fell, the kid still on a tube then jumped off the tube to climb the ladder and re-enter the boat. He (Hogerty) “sustained 3 propeller cuts from the knee down his left leg and a cut on the top of his right foot.” The accident happened on Lake of the Ozarks at Moonlight Bay about 11:22 am.

2 July 2006 KXLF (Montana) reports on TWO separate propeller injuries, both near Helena at Canyon Ferry Reservoir. On Saturday July 1st, R. Burt, a woman from Butte, fell from the bow of a boat when it hit a wave. She was struck by the propeller and later died. In a separate incident, a 26 year old man from Helena fell from the front of a Pontoon boat on Monday June 26th and was struck in the leg by the propeller. The State Park Officials report as a result of the two recent accidents they will be out in force enforcing boating safety regulations this summer.

 

• D 2 July 2006 Contra Costa Times (CA) “Boating Tragedies” reports on several historical boating accidents in the area, including one on Aug. 31, 2003. A 16-year-old San Lorenzo girl was being towed on a wake board on Lake Berryessa. The boat’s driver lost track of her and ran over her. She was killed by the propeller.
• D 1 July 2006 New York Post “Boat Horrors – Deadly Crashes Off L.I. & B’klyn” reports Alexander Keen, age 43, “was sliced to death by a propeller” about 3:25 pm yesterday (30 June) in Great South Bay when his 17 foot cruiser was ran over by a 22 foot boat. A detective said Keen was cut up by the propeller of the boat that ran over him. A witness said it happened in a dangerous corner of a crowded area.
• 29 June 2006 Statesman Journal (Salem OR) “Woman Cut by Boat Propeller is Recovering” reports K. Beddingfield, a 26 year old woman from Silverton, was injured Wednesday June 18th when she was swimming in the Willamette River near Aurora. She was hit by the propeller of her family’s boat about 3:15 pm near the 23500 block of Butte Lane and airlifted to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland. She suffered “cuts to her leg and abdomen.”
• 28 June WALB (GA) “Be Safe on the Water!” reports D. Webber, a 26 year old male from Nashville, slipped off the back of a boat at Lake Blackshear on Saturday (June 24) and “was severely cut on the thigh by the motor’s propeller.
• 26 June 2006 South Florida Sun-Sentinel “Lantana Teen Survives Boating Accident, Suffers Cuts” reports from West Lake Worth that J. Musselman, a 16 year old young man from Lantana, was in an inflatable power boat on Lake Osborne with three other teenagers on Sunday June 25th. They all fell in. When J. Musselman tried to climb back in, he “was flipped around and struck by the propeller.” He was air flighted to Delray Medical Center for treatment to cuts on his head and side.
• 26 June 2006 – Accident Date – 6 Apr 2008 News Tribune (Tacoma Washington) “Boating Smash-Up Makes a Novel Case” reports a case involving a 26 June 2006 accident just off the Silver Cloud Inn on Ruston Way. A 25 foot Advantage boat was hit by a Bayliner at high speed. The Bayliner flew over the passengers and a woman, 27 years old in the back had deep gashes in both hands, possibly caused by the Bayliner’s propeller. Some involved with the case are wanting to re-create the accident to see how one of the boats performed at that time.
• D 26 June 2006 Billings Gazette (Montana) “Woman Dies in Canyon Ferry Boat Accident” reports Ruth M. Burt, age 55 from Butte, fell from the front of a boat on Canyon Ferry Lake about 7:30 pm Saturday June 24th “and was struck by the propeller and killed” when the boat came around to pick her up. She died of “extensive injuries”, “primarily chest and abdomen injuries.” Six adults and three children were in the boat piloted by her son.
• 25 June 2006 Traverse City Record Eagle (Michigan) “Ohio Man Loses Foot in Boating Accident” reports J. Guy, male aged 41 of Dublin OH, apparently lost his balance and fell from a boat on June 16th at Lake near Wahbee Avenue in Cheboygan County. He clung to the boat as he fell, the boat ran into a boat hoist, then onto shore with him beneath it. One of his feet “was severed by the boat’s propeller.” He was taken to a local hospital and then later airlifted to Ann Arbor. Police were called to the scene after 10pm on June 16th.
• 25 June 2006 Ocala Star-Banner (Florida) “Overcoming Odds: Boating Accident Tests Resolve of Girl and Family” reports on the recovery status of a ten year old girl, T. Sears, that was injured April 8th 2006. She fell from a pontoon boat and “became entangled in the boat’s propeller” on the Ocklawaha River. The young girl was in surgery 10 hours that night, doctors tried to save her leg for three weeks, and she was in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for more than a month. In late May she was moved to a rehabilitation center in Jackson and is now in good spirits. It will still be several months before she can be fitted for a prosthetic, but she gets around well on a walker and a wheelchair. Her mother said, “I could probably buy two or three houses for what the bills are right now.”
• 23 June 2006 First Coast News (Jacksonville FL) “Child Critical From Boat Propeller” reports from Nassau County FL on a four year old girl that was swimming near Scott’s Landing Boat Ramp in St. Marys River in Hilliard. The young girl was hit by a 14 foot power boat receiving “serious cuts to her leg, abdomen and shoulder from the boat’s propeller. The injuries are life threatening.” The girl and her mother were air lifted to Shands.
• 23 June 2006 Missouri State Water Patrol Press Release #N7060057 reports J. Najera, age 8 of Prairie Village KS, was getting ready to go tubing, jumped off the stern while boat was drifting and struck his foot on the prop. He was transported by private vehicle to see if he needed stitches. Accident happened on Lake of the Ozarks at 10 Mile Marker / Lynch Hollow Cove.
• 22 June 2006 NBC17 (North Carolina) “Teen Inspires Others With Approach To Life” reports from Raleigh NC on the recovery of 15 year old Logan Aldridge. Two years ago his left arm (he was left handed) was amputated by a propeller after a wakeboat rope he was holding became caught in it. His inspirational recovery story has been featured in People magazine.
• D 21 June 2006 Tribune Chronicle (Mahoning Valley Ohio) “Man Killed in Mosquito Boating Accident” reports from Bazetta that Jerry Hixon, age 57 of Aurora, fell from a boat at Mosquito Lake State Park near the state Route 88 cruiseway about 7:50pm Tuesday 20 June. He was struck by the outboard motor propeller and killed. Mr Hixon was sitting in the front of the boat when it hit a series of wakes and he fell from the boat. He was pulled from the water by the boat operator, taken to a launch ramp on State Route 88, met by Mecca Fire Department, then taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Warren where he died.
• 21 June 2006 Huntsville Forester (Huntsville Ontario Canada) “Skier Injured by Propeller” reports J. Temple, a 57 year old man from Utterson, was skiing behind a 140 horsepower inboard/outboard engine about 4 pm June 18th on Skeleton Lake. The tow rope broke, he fell, and while attempting to get back in the boat he was “struck on the thigh with the propeller of the boat, which had inadvertently been left in gear and rotating.” Mr. Temple was taken to a marina, then to South Muskoka Memorial Hospital in Bracebridge.
• 21 Jun 2006 Miami Herald (FL) “BSO Implores Airboaters to Plan, Take Precautions” reports on a rescue Monday night June 19th of a man ejected from an airboat that “was seriously injured when the boat’s propeller slashed his lower back.” and on two other recent airboat injuries.
• D 21 June 2006 Local 6 WKMG (FL) “Boy Falls Into Boat Propeller During Father’s Day Trip” reports Hadi Zulfiqar, a two year old boy, fell into the propeller of his fathers boat at South Daytona Beach while his father was docking the boat on the Halifax River. The boat accelerated, the young boy fell over, severed his leg on the propeller and bled to death. His three year old brother was also on board at the time. Other reports indicate he died at a local hospital and the boat was an 18 footer.
• 14 June 2006 The Free Press (Makato MN) “Two Injured in Boating Accident” reports and a double propeller strike in Le Sure County at German Lake on Tuesday June 13th. Five teenagers were tubing (three in the boat and two on tubes). It is uncertain if the two on tubes were both on one tube, or on two separate tubes, but either way, they both fell off. The driver (one of the teenagers in the boat), turned around to get them “hitting both of them with the boat and its engineís propeller.” Rescue crews were called about 2:30 pm. One of the teenagers struck was airlifted from the public boat landing on the north shore with “head and face injuries”. The other person, a male, was injured when they dove into the water as the boat came back. He was “struck in the leg by the propeller.” The article reads like the second person may have also been airlifted later to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester. No names were released.
• D 12 June 2006 Star-Telegram (Fort Worth TX) “19 Year-Old Man Dies in Accident on Brazos River” reports Shane Richardson, a 19 year old young man from Weatherford, was water skiing in Hood County on the Brazos River and one quarter mile from the Parker County Line, north of Tin Tip in Parker County. About 3pm, “the propeller of the boat that was pulling him apparently pulled him under,” according to a spokesperson for the Brazos River Authority. All witnesses have not yet been interviewed, one speculation is that his tow rope may have become caught in the propeller. Three other people were in the boat. On of his legs was “severed by the propeller”. He was airlifted to Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth and died there.
• 4 June 2006 WFTV (Orlando FL) “High-Speed Boat Crash Injures Three, Kills Dog” reports from Volusia County FL on the high speed collision of two boats in the Saint Johns River when they came around a “blind corner” on the river southwest of Osteen, between Mud Lake and Mullet Lake near the county line. Six people were ejected from the boats, a dog was killed, and while the engine on one boat was still running, “a spinning propeller badly injured one girl’s leg”.
• 4 June 2006 NBC4i.com (Columbus OH) “Boat Slams Into Teenager Swimming In Lake” reports T. Roach, a 19 year old teenage boy, was being pulled on an inner tube on Choctaw Lake, a private lake community, near London, Ohio. He fell and was ran over by a passing pontoon boat “the boat’s propeller slammed into him” Saturday evening June 3rd. They found him face down, floating near the dam. He was life flighted to Grant Hospital and treated for “a 6-inch gash in his head, other lacerations and a dislocated shoulder.” Doctors said he would recover.
• D 3 June 2006 The Caller (Corpus Christi Caller -Times) Texas “Around the Area: Death is Investigated as Boating Accident” reports a 55 year old man (name not yet released) from McGreggor was found floating near Goose Island State Partk in Aransas County about 8 am Friday June 2nd. He had been fishing with a friend in a 23 foot center console skiff. While his friend was steering the boat to the left from the Intercoastal Waterway to enter the bay, he stood up, lost his balance and fell over the right side of the boat and “was struck in the left side of the head by the boat’s propeller”. Emergency personnel were unable to revive him at the site and he was pronounce dead. Later reports indicate the gentleman was Mr. C. Martin, a well know Waco banker ( First National Bank of Central Texas ) and community leader.
• D 1 June 2006 OHS Canada “Inadequate Planning Blamed for Quebec Firefighter’s Death in Training” reports a Canadian Press report from Montreal on the results of a workplace safety board investigation into the death of a 20 year old volunteer fire fighter on June 6, 2005 at Lake of Two Mountains (death reported in PGIC last year). J. Ratcliffe was taking an introductory training course on piloting a water rescue boat along with two others. Near the end of the training, he was ejected from the inflatable boat during a tight turn. “He died after his head struck the boat’s propeller.” The investigation found “firefighters didn’t adequately identify the risks in advance and the safety measures to put in place before making the turn.” The board also found he was seated in an unstable position on the edge of the boat since there were no seats.
• 1 June 2006 Townsville Bulletin (Australia) “Speedboat Mows Down Rowing Scull” reports Two Gold Cost rowers, members of the Surfers Paradise Rowing Club, reported a “terrifying “hit-and-run” accident in which a speedboat boat mowed down their double scull and then sped off” on Tuesday May 30th on the Nerang River.The two women jumped for their lives before the impact and dove as deep as possible worried they would “be cut up by the propeller.” The driver stopped, saw them floundering in the water and drove off. This is an example of a “near miss” propeller injury.
• D 31 May 2006 Contra Costa Times (TN) “Fatal Boating Crash Goes to Trial in Fla” AP news story reports from Dayton Tennessee on a trial in which the victim’s father paid for a computer animation the prosecutor could not afford. M. Goins, age 31 was killed during a Tennessee River bass fishing tournament in December 2001 (accident was reported here earlier). Two times before, the juries have failed to issue an indictment against the pilot of the boat that struck Goin’s boat resulting in him being struck by the propellers of the striking boat. A $47,000 computer animation may have been sucessful this third time as an indictment was issued. The defense attourney says the computer generated video is flawed and misleading.
• 29 May 2006 Accident Date – 5 December 2008 St. Petersburg Times “Winter’s Tale: Entourage” reports several children with major medical issues are identifying with an injured dolphin at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The dolphin lost her tail and now has a prosthetic plastic one. Among the children is Brandon Sanders now 11 of Hudson. He lost a leg to to a propeller on Memorial Day 2006. He was in the back of the boat wrapped in a towel when the boat hit a rock and ejected everybody, including a dog. Brandon’s towel became wrapped in the propeller and pulled him in.
• 27 May 2006 The Patriot Ledger (Massachusetts) “Boaters Beware: Inexperience, Inattention Leading Causes of Accidents on the Water” reports on a July 4 weekend in 2003. A man was boatng back to Humarock after watching Plymouthís fireworks display with several family members and friends on his boat. Shortly after midnight, “the propeller struck some rocks, tearing a hole in the boat.” In just a few minutes the boat sank putting all seven passengers in the water, including an eight year old boy. An hour and a half later they were rescued by firefighters. This is an example of another type of propeller mishap that can place passengers at risk.
• 19 May 2006 Pahrump Valley Times (Nevada) “Teen-Age Boy Drowns at Lake Mead: Woman Critically Injured” reports on Saturday May 13th an 18 year old California woman riding on a personal watercraft behind a 16 year old friend was critically injured when her friend drove in front of a boat driven by another 16 year old. The boat tried to avoid them, but hit the back of the PWC. The 18 year old girl was “hit several times by the boat propeller, causing serious injuries.” She was airlifted to a hospital in Los Vegas and in critical condition Sunday night.
• D 18 May 2006 Cambridge Evening News (UK) “Boat Captain in Court Over Tourist Death” reports an update on the highly publicized propeller strike of a Cambridge tourist in Australia on October 16, 2005. Naomi La Monica, a 22 year old young woman on vacation, died when struck in the head by a propeller when she fell from a dinghy. A gentleman from Finland, Mr. Vaisanen, age 58, thought to have been in charge of the dinghy, has been charged with dangerous driving at a hearing at Townsville Magistrates’ Court, Queensland, on 16 May, the case was adjourned until October 16.
• 15 May 2006 Pensacola News Journal (FL) “Local News Briefs: Two Injured After Falling Onto Propeller While Boarding Boat” reports two 11 year old girls were both injured when they fell on a propeller while trying to board a boat about 3 pm Sunday 14 May on Blackwater River. One suffered “multiple lacerations to one leg and a compound fracture to the other” and was life flighted to Sacred Heart Hospital. The second girl cut her leg and required stiches.
• 14 May 2006 Lake Mead NA News Release. (National Park Service). Update on Weekend Tragedies at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. About 2pm Saturday May 13th, a young woman (age 18 of California) was riding on a PWC behind a 16 year old girl when it drove in front of a boat operated by a 16 year old teenage male. He tried to miss them, but the boat hit the rear of the PWC and the 18 year old young woman was critically injured when she was “hit several times by the boat propeller.” A witness phoned for help and brought her to the launch ramp. Park Rangers and the ambulance crew administered to her before she was taken to a local hospital near Bullhead/Laughlin, then airlifted to University Medical Trauma Unit in Las Vegas
• 13 May 2006 Daily Record (United Kingdom) “Pleasure Boat Runs Aground” reports 14 passengers were left stranded at an island when the “May Princes”, a pleasure boat, “suffered a fault with a propeller” and was blown on the rocks near Kirkhaven Harbour. The boat was headed from the Isle of May back to Anstruther, in Fife, when it the problem occurred. A fishing boat towed it to Arbroath Harbour. No one was injured. The “May Princes” runs trips to the Isle of May from April to September and can carry up to 100 passengers. We list the accident here as it is an accident in which a propeller failure put passengers at risk.
• 10 May 2006 Burnett County Sentinel (Wisconsin) “Police Blotter” reports J. King, age 25, of Northfield MN was injured on Rooney Lake Sunday 7 May. He fell from a Ranger boat piloted by a friend while traveling 21 to 40 mph when some other friends passed them, creating a wake. Mr. King fell overboard when the boat he was in hit the wake. When he fell, he was struck by “a small kicker plate with sharp corners and edges, but NOT the propeller” causing gash to his left arm. Other reports say the accident “caused Kingís arm to be severed near his elbow”. He was airlifted to Hennepin Medical Center in Minneapolis. At press time the extent of his injuries could not be confirmed, but he was listed in satisfactory condition. This accident represents a near miss, plus may be worth further investigation to confirm the extent of injuries received from striking a drive vs. a propeller.
• D 9 May 2006 L’Express (Mauritius) “Death in Sea Accident Coincides with Law Review” reports the death of Xavier-Luc Leblanc “after the boatís propeller sectioned his brain” on Monday May 1st is being reviewed in conjunction with a review of boating safety laws currently under consideration. The 16 year old boy’s 19 year old cousin was driving the boat in Trou-díEau-Douce lagoon at Óle-aux-cerfs and has been “provisionally charged with manslaughter.” They were coming back from a day out at Óle-aux-cerfs and Xavier-Luc suddenly fell in the water. The police are still trying to sort our exactly what happened. The Minister of Tourism, Leisure and External Communications is wanting to reinforce boating safety laws and is preparing a new tourism bill to be introduced to Parliament very soon. Several recent accidents have increased the urgency of improving the situation, plus the safety of dolphins in the area is also of concern.
• 7 May 2006 CNKW AM 980 (British Columbia Canada) reports from Pitt Meadows, two men were taken to a hospital when their boat ran aground near the Pitt River Bridge. “One man’s leg was cut by the boat’s propeller.” Police Fire and Ambulance responded. One may was lifted to the roadway to be placed in an ambulance.
• 4 May 2006 Arizona Republic (Arizona) “Bar Hosts Fund-Raiser to Aid Hurt Musician” reports Ronnie Dye age 44 of Mesa AZ (a well known area musician, lead singer of Ronnie Dye & Next of Kin) without health insurance was “pulled into the propeller of a capsized boat” at Roosevelt Lake on April 5th, required a 9 day hospital stay, four surgeries and skin graft. His medical bills are expected to total near $500,000. His calf was almost severed from the knee down per his agent and manager. Mr. Dye is father to six children and it is not certain if he will regain the ability to walk again.
• 28 Apr 2006 Illawarra Mercury (Australia) “$1.8m Case Win” reports a large legal award to James Smith of MT Warrigal who was snorkeling/spearfishing near Brush Island on the South Coast 12 Oct 2001 when struck by a propeller. The parties (Benjamin Richard Perese and Perese Abalone Diving Pty Ltd) have agreed to the amount inthe NSW Supreme Court, but the Justice has yet to determine the final payout.
• 26 April 2006 The Herald (Scotland) “Seven People Rescued From Yacht” reports Seven people were rescued using three RNLI life boats and a helicopter 25 April when a 42 foot chartered yacht “propeller shaft parted from the boat” and it began taking on water. Comment – We list this accident here because it is possible this was caused by the propeller striking something, and atthis was caused by the propeller striking something, and at it indicates another way propellers can cause safety issues.
• D 25 Apr 2006 Belfast Telegraph (Ireland) “Boating Prank That Turned to Tragedy: Man in Water Hit by Propellor” reports Mr. B. Bannister, age 40, of Castlereagh was killed by a propeller strike on 20 August 2005. He was sunbathing on deck of a cruiser when a friend spun the boat around to the left twice. He was thrown from the deck and struck by the propeller. They wrapped him in a sleeping bag in an attempt to slow the flow of blood, but attempts by an ambulance crew to resuscitate him on the way to a hospital were unsuccessful. Events surrounding the accident were heard at an inquest yesterday.
• 16 April 2006 Townsville Bulletin (Australia) “Cray Fisherman’s Marathon Battle for Life” reports Rodney Silvester, 47, was cray fishing near Cape Jaffa, about 300km south of Adelaide yesterday (15 April). While running his cray fish pots (probably lobster pots) in his 5 meter fiberglass crayfish boat one net ended up wrapped around his propeller near Boatswain Point about 8:45 pm causing the boat to capsize. Mr. Silvester defied the odds by swimming 3 km to shore over about two hours in freezing water with 3 to 5 meter swells. Although he was wearing a life jacket, local residents were still astonished at his survival.
• 14 April 2006 Courier Mail (Australia) “Propeller Blamed for Angler Death” reports a 67 year old fisherman that drowned in Newcastle Harbour yesterday (13 April) may have died after his clothing became entangled in the propeller. He was fishing along in a 5 meter runabout, fell overboard about 12:15 (AEST), witnesses alerted the police wihch found him trapped beneath the boat.
• 13 April 2006 Chincoteague Beacon (Maryland) “Maryland Men Rescued off Greenbackville” reports a 27 foot boat launched from Greenbackville into Chincoteague Bay on Wednesday (April 12) got its propeller tangled up in a crab-pot line. With two men on board and a storm coming, they began to take water over the side and called for help with a cell phone. The Coast Guard responded with a boat and helicopter, but was unable to find them without a good location. Some fishermen picked them up when the boat sank and transported them to a Coast Guard boat. No one was injured.
• 7 April 2006 Monterey Herald (California) “Fishing Boat, Patrol Craft Collide in Bay” reports on the collison of a small fishing boat and a patrol boat from the Dept. of Fish and Game in Monterey Bay north of Monterery Municipal Wharf. A lady, her son and her grandson were trolling for salmon in a Nordic power boat about 11 am to noon off Del Monte Beach when they were approached by the patrol boat. Lines from the fishing boat became wrapped around the propeller of the patrol boat and the boats bumped. The lady said “If he hadn’t cut the line, it would have pulled my grandson over.”
• D 2 April 2006 South Florida Sun Sentinel “Officials Say Fatal Hit-and-Run Crash at Sea Hard to Solve, Especially as Time Passes” reports about 7pm on 10 September 2005, 26 year old, G. Tayfour was killed by a propeller in a hit and run boating accident while snorkeling / spear fishing with a friend near the Dania Beach Pier when he was struck by a 25 foot boat. His father is still hoping the those responsible will be found. Authorities point out maritime accidents are considerably different than highway accidents in terms of evidence at the scene. Water crashes leave little evidence, have few witnesses, no tire marks, DNA evidence is washed away and debris sinks. A Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission investigator reports they did download pictures from some webcams on seaside buildings in the areas, but no witnesses have come forward. A $10,000 reward has been offered. His friend saw the 25 to 30 foot white boat with blue trim hit him as screamed, but it was too late. It was 10 minutes before another boat passed.
• 31 March 2006 First Coast News (NBC channel 12 FL) “7-Year-Old Gashed By Boat Propeller” reports from St Johns Country FL on an Intracoastal Waterway propeller accident involving C. Bennett, a 7 year old boy. Several family members were in two boats near Matanzas Inlet. While pulling the rope to start an outboard, “it just jumped into gear and took off, spinning uncontrollably.” The young boy was thrown from the boat and his father jumped in after him. The spinning boat came around and severly sliced the boy under the arm. He was flown to Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, where surgeons closed his wounds. Story includes a video.
• D 23 March 2006 Grayson County News Gazette (Kentucky) “Fisherman Killed After Fall From Bass Boat” reports C. Brunner, a 47 year old gentleman from Louisville, died Saturday morning March 18th. He was competing in a bass fishing tournament on Rough River Lake in Breckinridge County. He was the 2nd to go out that morning and while attempting to steer out of the first boat’s wake into smoother water, he and a passenger fell from the boat. The passengerless boat circled back, he told his companion to swim away. The companion was able to push the boat away, but Mr Bruner “was killed after he was struck in the face by the boat’s propeller.” The boat actually made contact with his passenger three times during the ordeal, but he escaped serious injury and does not know why Mr Bruner was unable to do so. Authorities pointed out he the lack of use of a kill switch.
• 18 Mar 2006 The Maui News (Hawaii) “Strike an Alarming Trendí reports from Maalaea that a second humpback whale calf has been injured by a boat in less than a week. Five have now been struck this year. This calf has 3 to 4 square feet of damage and the injuries are “indicative of a propeller striking the whale”. This last case was a hit and run, they do not know who hit the whale.
• D 15 Mar 2006 News Channel 9 Chattanooga TN “Boating Death Trial Delayed” reports a Rhea County stopped a negligent homicide trial due to a “Tainted Jury” before it began Wednesday 15 March. Trial was to be for C. Kilpatrick in boating death of Matthew Goins. On Tuesday and Wednesday morning, NewsChannel 9 showed a computer generated reconstruction of the accident and the judge feels anyone from the county will not forget the coverage and how graphic it was. Mr Goins was killed during a fishing tournament on the Tennessee River in Dec 2001 (other references place accident date as 15 Dec 2001). Mr. Kilpatrick’s boat ran into his and he was struck and killed by the prop.
• 15 Mar 2006 Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL) “Port Employees Rescue Capsized Boaters” reports an accident in which a “man’s leg was cut by the boat propeller”. A man and three children were rescued by two Port Manatee employees after their small boat capsized near Manbirtee Island, a bird sanctuary, in Tampa Bay about 5:15 pm Tuesday 14 March. The children were ok.
• 12 Mar 2006 Indianapolis Star “BOW Course Pays Off in Rescue” reports how a couple quickly applied knowledge learned in an wilderness survival course to help rescue a propeller injury victim 30 Jun 2005. The Bahan’s were canoeing on Lake Jocassee on the North Carolina-South Carolina border. While paddling to check out a campsite, they heard screaming. Rounding a point, they saw a man in the water and an unmanned boat circling. B. Harris had fallen over and been struck several times by the propeller. “His arm was mangled to the bone, his hand almost severed and his leg cut open.” He held to their canoe as they paddled for shore. They covered him with survival gear, sent a distress signal by radio, started loudly blowing a whistle and waving a large map, along with using a bandanna to stop the bleeding. They caught the attention of a small boat that went for help. A larger boat stopped, they lifted him on deck using a stretcher fashioned from life preservers. Mr. Harris was later airlifted to a Greensville SC hospital.
• 12 Mar 2006 Napa Valley Register (AP News) “Washington’s Resident Orca, Luna Believed Killed by Boat Propeller” is one of many recent articles on a young killer whale in Washington state waters that apparently died Friday March 10th, when struck by the propeller of a 1700 HP seagoing tugboat. The whale known locally as Luna, was number L-98 to scientists, was a member of a local Orca pod. Luna was swimming under the vessel interacting with the boat and may have been drawn into the powerful propeller. “There were blood and remains in the wake of the tug.” Other reports indicate it was a 140 foot (listed as 29 meters once) 207 ton tug named General Jackson with a 6 foot diameter prop that came into the area (Nootka Sound) seeking shelter from high winds. This tug was much more powerful than boats the whale was used to being around.
• Feb 2006 MAIB (Marine Accident Investigation Branch – UK “Almost a Deadman’s Handle” (see adobe pages 7-9) reports on a UK propeller accident involving three teenagers on a 4.5 meter RIB. They had just entered a “slow” area, the driver reduced throttle and started a left hand turn. During the turn the console on which the driver was sitting and the steering wheel was attached to, broke from the deck, the operator lost his balance and fell in. The RIB turned sharply to starboard, one of the passengers fell in and was struck by the propeller, then the remaining passenger panicked and jumped out. The boat began to circle and almost struck the operator (now in the water assisting the passenger who had been struck briefly earlier). The boat came so close, the prop ripped off his fleece top
• 25 Feb 2006 “Boat Propeller Lacerates Diver” News24.com reports a 71 year old male diver incurred “severe lacerations to his buttocks” on Saturday 25 Feb on the Western Cape (reported from Johannesburg). A boat that did not see him, was steered over him per the National Sea Rescue Institute. He was airlifted to hospital and is in stable condition. The injured man was spear fishing with two other divers in Melkbosstrand. He was rescued by a fisherman in a canoe.
• D2002 23 Feb 2006 “The Day We Lost Our Little Boy” News Shopper (U.K.) reports on the August 2002 accident in the Bahamas that claimed the life of a young boy, P. Gallagher, sleeping in a deck chair next to his mother on the beach. Only two years old, he was struck by the prop of a boat that left the water. News Shopper has started a “Justice for Paul Campaign” seeking justice in the situation. The accident occurred at Atlantis Resort beach in Paradise Island. The boat sailed over the young boy, “its propeller splitting his head open before it came to rest 60ft away from the shore”. His mother reported, “Paul had a towel on his head. His head had been split open and I could see his brain was exposed, I only wish you people could have seen what I’d seen.” He was transported to Nassau Doctors Hospital where a surgeon told them his head injuries were the worst he had ever seen. The young boy survived a three hour operation, while suffering three heart attacks, later dying five days later on August 20th.
• 22 Feb 2006 “Local Swimmers Take on Rottnest” Augusta Margaret River Mail (Australia) reported during he Rottnest Channel Swim, a 20km swim from Cottesloe to Rottnest Island, in Australia on Saturday, February 18, a variety of difficulties were encountered, including a strong headwind, 2.5 meter swells, cool conditions, a heart attack and “a propeller injury”.
• D2005 22 Feb 2006 “Call for Justice” Solomon Star (Solomon Islands) reports on an accident involving four men traveling from Buala to Baolo on Friday Oct 28, 2005 in a small boat powered by a 40 HP outboard. After they arrived at Balolo someone found a body under the canoe “uncovered, naked and swamped with worms and blue flies”. Death was alleged to a propeller strike after he fell overboard. “Half of his head was taken off never to be seen again including his other eye and ear and deep wounds in his chest and arms.” Relatives, suspecting foul play, are calling for an investigation.
• D2005 10 Feb 2006 “Death Charge Skipper Wins Passport Plea” Cambridge Evening News (U.K. – accident was in Australia) reports a skipper charged in the propeller strike death of a Cambridge tourist in Australia (Naomi La Monica) on 16 Oct 2005 off Magnetic Island in Queensland Australia will be allowed to continue using his passport as he awaits a trial in 2007.
• 9 Feb 2006 “Charges Possible in Island Lake Accident” HometownLife.com (Michigan) reports a Mr. E. Westphal, age 24, and Miss S. Perverzev, age 33, were struck by a boat that “came out of nowhere” about 6:40Pm June 26, 2005 on the Green Oak Township waterway in the Island Lake Recreation Area. Mr. Westphal dove, but the boat struck his right arm and he blacked out briefly. When he “came to”, he followed bubbles from the ski boat’s propeller to the surface, found Miss Perverzev face down in the water, yelled for the boaters to come back. He suffered multiple breaks to his right arm and Miss Perverzev was in a coma for about a month. Propeller injuries are not specifically mentioned, but the situation represents one in which they can occur.
• 5 Feb 2006 “Man Overboard Struck by Propeller” Daily Telegraph (Australia) reports a 31 year old male passenger in a water taxi fell overboard into Gold Coat broadwater at Southport and was struck by the propeller. The gentleman was reportedly standing on seats in the bow as the taxi moved people from Tipplers Resort on South Stradbroke Island to the mainland. He fell overboard about 5.30pm (AEST) yesterday (Feb 4th). The man “suffered lacerations to the left side of his face, ear and left arm after being struck by the vessel’s outboard motor propeller”. He is currently in stable condition at Gold Coast Hospital.
• 4 Feb 2006 “7 rescued Cubans will be taken to Bahamas” South Florida Sun Sentinel reports seven Cubans had been surviving for about two weeks on a deserted Bahamian island. They launched a homemade boat from Cuba on January 13th, but it broke apart on January 20th and six of their companions died trying to reach shore. “The Coast Guard airlifted one of the Cubans to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier because his finger was severed in a propeller accident and became infected.” A fishing vessel spotted the group on Thursday. Interestingly, under the injured “boater”, Mr. Chavez, will be allowed to stay in the United States because he reached U.S. soil.
• 4 Feb 2006 “Beating Traffic the Italian Way” Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) reported several recent tow boat accidents including “a 38-year-old female was swimming in Wallis Lake when she was struck by the propeller of a ski boat.”
• 20 Jan 2006 Bay of Plenty Times (New Zealand) reports one of few reported instances of someone actually being struck by a propeller guard. Tony Vercautern, a Thundercat Racer (high powered small two man RIBs) will miss this weeks race after being in an accident during a race two weeks ago. Mr. Vercautern reports, “I was actually pretty lucky – I came out of the boat (onto the beach) and one of the other boats landed on my leg. It was actually the propeller guard that did the damage but I might not have had any leg left if the prop guard hadn’t been there.
• 17 Jan 2006 “Rare Whales in CC Bay Baffle Researchers” WOAI.com (San Antonio TX) reports a Northern Right Whale and her calf have mysteriously appeared in Corpus Christi Bay. The calf (a 15 footer) “already appears to be suffering from two slash type injureis apparently caused by a boat propeller.”
• 3 Jan 2006 “Accident Shows Danger of Intoxicated Boaters” Palm Beach Post reports Florida Rep. Gayle Harrell is preparing a bill in the state of Florida to “put drunken boaters in as much trouble as drunken drivers”. The bill is the result of a July 31 boat accident in Martin County (reported here earlier) where a county battalion fire chief was killed. Mr. O’Hara (the fire chief) was riding a Yamaha PWC, cut in front of a Checkmate boat, collided, and was was struck by the propeller
• January 2006 Accident – BSAC Diving for Divers in the UK “Boating and Surface Incidents” reports a January 2006 accident #06/063 in which an outboard mounting broke on one of two RHIBS coming back from a dive site in rough conditions. The Coxswain stopped, got some help and repaired the boat. Shortly later, the engine flew up from the rough water and the boat overturned. He fell overboard and the kill switch (attached to him) did not function (did not kill the engine). The boat ran over him at high speed. His right leg was hit by the prop and his drysuit was tangled in the prop and killed the engine. He managed to get untangled and “His only injury was some bruising. His drysuit and undersuit were shredded in the stomach area.”
• Unknown 2006 Accident Date – 10 January 2010 CourierMail.com.au (Australia) “Deaths Spark Spear-Fishing Safety Push” reports on several diving accidents including Luke Randall of Clayfield being struck by a propeller while spear-fishing at a shipwreck at Main Beach on the Gold Coast. He was hospitalized for six weeks.