Men Injured by Pontoon Boat Prop; One Critically
Two men were injured, one critically, after they were slashed by a pontoon boat propeller on the Rehoboth Bay late Friday afternoon.
Captain Nick A. Couch of the Natural Resources Police/Delaware Fish & Wildlife says about 10 college-age men had rented the pontoon boat. Just before 4:30 p.m., they decided to pose for a photo near the bow of the vessel, Capt. Couch said.
As the entire group gathered near the vessel’s bow, the operator stepped away from the helm to take the photo while the boat was still in gear and moving forward, he said. Just prior to the photo being taken, three of the men posing for the photo fell off the vessel resulting in two of them getting slashed by the boat’s propeller.
Both men were taken to the hospital by ambulance. One suffered severe cuts to both his shoulder and torso area and remains in surgery as of Friday evening, Capt. Couch said.
The operator of the pontoon boat has been charged with negligent operation of a motor vessel, he added.
