Woman falls off bow of pontoon boat, cut by propellor, Florida police say

DESTIN, Fla. — A woman visiting Florida learned a tough lesson about boat safety earlier this week.

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According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s office, the 22-year-old woman suffered “very deep” cuts to her arm when she fell off a pontoon boat on Monday and was struck by a propeller, WKRG-TV reported.

In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office said the woman was riding on the bow of the vessel with her feet in the water in the Intracoastal Waterway west of Crab Island on the Florida Panhandle.

The boat hit a wave, which pulled the woman under the boat. She was injured when she was struck by the propellor, deputies said.

The sheriff’s office Marine Unit arrived and attempted to stop the flow of blood until the Okaloosa Emergency Medical Services team arrived, WKRG reported.

The identity of the woman and her condition have not been released, according to the Miami Herald. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident, according to the newspaper.

“We send our sincere wishes for her recovery from the trauma,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook. “And we want to remind everyone to please use caution on the water. A fun day of boating can turn tragic very quickly.”

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