Boat Accident Leads to Amputation
Posted By
on Aug 7, 2011 5:28pm PDT
Earlier this month, John Dahl was an average 14-year-old from Redington Shores. He and two friends went out with a wakeboard and a water scooter for an afternoon of fun. Both John and the scooter's driver had just passed a boating safety course and were wearing life vests. Still, the afternoon ended in catastrophic injury.
Tampabay.com reported that while enjoying the afternoon, the wakeboarder fell off but the scooter's driver did not slow down. Protesting both the speed and the manner in which the other was driving, John jumped off into the water. He became tangled in the tow line still attached to the wakeboard, injuring his leg. The leg injury was so severe the only option was
amputation.
Gary Morse of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated the other two were uninjured in the water scooter accident, but officials would not release names as there is a criminal investigation underway. Investigations are reportedly standard operating procedure in
boating accidents with such severe injuries. He did say, "You should never jump off any vessel going at a high speed unless you have no other options to avoid injury."
John Dahl's water scooter accident highlights the dangers of horsing around on the water. As a
Tampa accident attorney
, I too often see the victims of these incidents and the life changing consequences they must face.