shorts&chanclas
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2008
- Messages
- 125
I just wanted to share a sobering moment we had yesterday. My two buddies and I came across a 20-21 ft. runabout sitting real low in the water and grossly overloaded with people. Maybe 12 -15. of which 5 were kids (W/O jackets) and the rest were rather portly. It was so low the swim platform was covered ankle deep to the transom. None of us like the sitaution so we pulled aside and asked if they needed assistance.
Turns out a female passenger managed to fall out and was struck by the prop on her upper right arm and across her shoulder blade. I thought they wrapped it with a brown towel but my friend said it was originally white. We provided what assistance we could by insisting on a tourniquet to stop the bleeding using swim trunk strings. She was in early stages of shock about to pass out. There was no room to lay her down and by this time they were about 100 yards from the ramp. The shoulder wounds were mainly abrasions so there was not any bleeding in that area.
We followed them into shore and stood by. paramedics were not there despite them saying they had called it in. The fire station is about 4 miles from where we were so i fully expected to see Rescue. We had the sinking feeling that the driver was putting his well being before the life of his passenger. IMO there was a high chance of him being BWI and breaking all sorts of other laws.
All the pieces of a disaster were there. Kids under 12 w/o jackets, overloaded equipment, alcohol, lack of preparation/knowledge.
Turns out a female passenger managed to fall out and was struck by the prop on her upper right arm and across her shoulder blade. I thought they wrapped it with a brown towel but my friend said it was originally white. We provided what assistance we could by insisting on a tourniquet to stop the bleeding using swim trunk strings. She was in early stages of shock about to pass out. There was no room to lay her down and by this time they were about 100 yards from the ramp. The shoulder wounds were mainly abrasions so there was not any bleeding in that area.
We followed them into shore and stood by. paramedics were not there despite them saying they had called it in. The fire station is about 4 miles from where we were so i fully expected to see Rescue. We had the sinking feeling that the driver was putting his well being before the life of his passenger. IMO there was a high chance of him being BWI and breaking all sorts of other laws.
All the pieces of a disaster were there. Kids under 12 w/o jackets, overloaded equipment, alcohol, lack of preparation/knowledge.