Man hospitalized after leg gets struck by boat propeller in water off Fort Lauderdale Beach, officials say
A man was hospitalized Saturday afternoon after getting his leg struck by a boat propeller while in the water off Fort Lauderdale Beach, officials said.
The incident happened right off Florida State Road A1A near the Northeast 21st Street Beach entrance, where the call originally came in for a possible shark bite but quickly changed.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said the man was diving about a mile offshore when he was hit. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue told CBS News Miami that the man was struck by the boat's propeller as he dove in 60-foot-deep water.
It was at that moment when a boat traveling nearby hit him, and its propeller struck his leg. The man was taken to Broward Health Medical Center as a trauma alert, FLFR said.
The FWC is asking for the public's help in finding the boat responsible for the incident. Officials said the vessel, which has outboard motors and is between 30 and 40 feet long, was last seen traveling north with two people on board.
If anyone has seen the boat, they are asked to call the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
Eyewitness account
Christopher Burnes told CBS News Miami that it was another day for him working for Beach Ventures when he witnessed the entire incident unfold.
"I went to check it out, and they were taking someone off the boat, kind of carrying him, and I went down to look, and obviously, someone was injured, and he was on the ground, and they were all around him," he said. "I went, I looked and saw a big gaping wound on the back of his leg."
After he noticed the wound, Burnes got on his ATV and rode off to notify a lifeguard. People called 911 while helping the man. Burnes told CBS News Miami that the man was conscious and able to speak, but he was concerned about losing his leg.
"People were just holding pressure on it because the wound was substantial," he said.
Burnes said he spoke with other people who were on the boat with the injured man.
"They were yelling at the boat that was coming towards them, and the boat, the guy driving the boat, was looking at them and just kept coming, coming and just ran him over, and kept going," he said.
Diving safety
Burnes, who takes people diving off the coast for a living, told CBS News Miami that he always warns them about incidents like this one.
"You know people are worried about sharks and eels and this and that," he said. "But, I always tell people the boats are the most dangerous thing."