Girl nearly loses arm in boating accident / good recovery with help of doctors

Newswise — Kristen Kilpatrick could see the whirling propeller approaching after her fishing boat lurched forward, plunging her into the cold lake. “The motor creates this weird funneling and it just sucks you in. I just curled up into a little ball,” the Texas Christian University sophomore recalled. On a May 2009 weekend whim, she and friends had gone to the lake on her family’s ranch near Hico, located southwest of Stephenville. The engine was brutally unforgiving.

Names of 3 rescued boaters released - One dead

FORT MYERS, Fla. - We have an update on last night's fatal boat accident. Fish and Wildlife tells us a 12-foot vessel was towing a 10-foot vessel in the Caloosahatchee River's choppy water. The operator of the first boat fell in the water after his seat broke. Another passenger fell in after attempting to take control of the boat. The operator ultimately drowned, and was recovered within 100 feet of the accident site at nearby Rat Island. Officials say the accident was alcohol-related.

Boating Accidents Jacksonville Florida

There has been a rash of boating accidents and water related deaths in Jacksonville lately.

Teen Drowns in Trout River; One Man Missing in Julington Creek

A 16-year-old's body was pulled from the Trout River late Sunday night, ending the search for teen who fell into the water while fishing near Main Street. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has identified the teenager as Ladre McNeal of Jacksonville. Rescue crews have also called off a separate search for a man who fell off a small boat in Julington Creek. Police say that man is 29 year old Shane Wiggins of Jacksonville.The U.S. Coast Guard and Sheriff's Office rushed to the Trout River near Main Street around 4:30 Sunday afternoon after reports the teen fell in the water trying to retrieve a bait box near rocks and never surfaced. Dive teams found McNeal's body before 10 p.m. and said the drowning is still under investigation. Around 5 p.m. another possible drowning sent teams from the Coast Guard, Sheriff's Office, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue, Clay County Sheriff's Office and St. Johns County Sheriff's Office to Julington Creek near the St. Johns County line. Bujeda says a man and woman were fishing in a small boat when the man fell off the boat and never came up from the water.

Navigation For Dummies

This article references a youtube video. Comment if you like on any navigational errors you think the zodiac operator made. Dwayne

Coast Guard searches for Missing Teen on Cruise Ship - Bruce O'Krepki

TAMPA - The Coast Guard searched the Gulf of Mexico by boat and from the air for a second day Tuesday for an 18-year-old from Louisiana who fell overboard during a cruise to celebrate his high school graduation. The Coast Guard said Bruce O'Krepki went over the rails of the Carnival Fantasy on Sunday night about 150 miles southwest of Tampa. A Coast Guard cutter and two aircraft searched for him Tuesday, Petty Officer Rob Simpson said. O'Krepki graduated with honors from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Hammond, La., where he ran track and played soccer. He was with about 30 classmates and members of their families on the ship. His uncle Rick O'Krepki said the teen's parents were among the chaperones.