Man nearly loses hand after falling off boat and hitting propeller, California cops say
A man nearly lost his hand after he fell off a boat and was struck by the propeller on a California lake, reports said.
He suffered a “traumatic” partial hand amputation, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
He had been riding on the bow of the boat when the 39-year-old fell and was struck by the propeller at Lake Berryessa, CBS News Bay Area reported.
The man was not wearing a life jacket, but his family managed to pull him back into the boat, the station reported.
First responders from multiple agencies responded, and a quick-thinking deputy with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding from the “major lacerations on his hand and wrist,” officials said on Facebook.
Then he was flown to a hospital, officials said.
Riding on the bow of a boat is prohibited in California because it’s unsafe, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
