A teenager who was flown to the hospital on Saturday after a Palm Beach County boating accident had to have part of her leg amputated. Gabby DeSouza, 14, was swimming in the water south of Juno Beach Pier when part of her leg got caught in a boat propeller south of Juno Beach Pier.
As the girls ran to meet the boat, its operator revved the engine to keep it from getting beached because of the waves. The boat struck three of the girls, knocking them down. The propeller struck one of the girl’s legs.
Lifeguards came to the rescue in an attempt to stop the bleeding. The boat, a 22-foot white Cobia, fled the scene. It was later found at the Crab House in Jupiter and the Sheriff’s Office has impounded it.
Prior to the Palm Beach County boating accident, lifeguards had warned the boat operator to leave the swimming area but their orders were ignored. An investigation is under way.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:
• There were 426 boating injuries in 2009
• Primary injuries included lacerations, broken bones, contusions, head injury, back injury, neck injury, sprain/strain, internal injuries, hypothermia, teeth and jaw injuries, dislocations, burns, amputations, spinal injury, and shock.
Boating accidents can cause serious injuries to both the people riding in the boat and those in the water. There may be more than one liable party who should be held liable for your boating accident injuries, such as the boat operator, the person or company that owns the boat, or the manufacturer of a defective boat.
14-Year-Old Girl Injured By Boat Propeller Has Leg Amputated, WBPF, February 8, 2011
14-year-old girl hospitalized after leg is caught in boat propeller, Sun-Sentinel, February 6, 2011
Related Web Resources:
US Coast Guard
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Related Blog Posts:
Man Charged in Boating Accident that Injured Florida Diver, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, January 29, 2010
Fort Myers Man Dies in Boating Accident, Cause of Death Unknown, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, December 29, 2009
Boating Accident Injures Boca Raton Man, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, November 27, 2009
From our West Palm Beach and Miami boating accident law offices, Halberg Law represents clients injured in waters throughout the state. In addition to recreational boating accidents, we also work with clients hurt in jet ski accidents, swimming accidents, and in commercial boating accidents.