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This is getting sickening. Its not like there is never a diver or two on Pickles every now and then.... There was about six inches of swell in the Keys this weekend and great vis so weather conditions were not a factor. Somehow I bet the "irresponsible, inexperienced, self-centered, having no situational awareness, knuckle-head behind the wheel of a boat" factor may have played a huge role. Thank goodness the man who was struck is going to recover.
Reef diver struck, injured by passing boat | KeysNews.com
From the "KeysNews" 17/2/09:
"A 66-year-old Key Largo man diving near Pickles Reef was seriously injured Saturday when he was struck by a 20- to 25-foot fishing boat.
Joseph Diver suffered two 8- to 10-inch lacerations to the lower part of one leg and was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, said Bobby Dube, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman. The boat that struck Diver didn't stop, Dube said.
"It's very possible the boater didn't know he hit a diver," Dube said. "I've run boats for 20 years and hit all kinds of things in the water, but usually you have a sense of what you hit when it happens."
Diver was in the water with his two brothers, who are from Michigan. Two women on the dive boat gave officers a general description of the boat that struck Diver, but they did not see the name of the boat. The women told officers the vessel came from behind the dive boat, but it was not traveling recklessly or abnormally, Dube said.
There was a dive flag in the water and all of the divers were within 100 feet of the flag, Dube said.
Diver's injurious were serious, but not life-threatening, Dube said.
Officers are investigating and determining whether charges are appropriate. Dube said if the boater left the scene knowing he hit a person in the water, then felony charges could follow -- provided officers are able to identify the boat and the driver.
"Nine out of 10 times, a boater will stop and render aid if they're aware they hit something or somebody," Dube said. "It all depends on the investigation. He's lucky to be alive, that's for sure."
alinhardt@keysnews.com
Reef diver struck, injured by passing boat | KeysNews.com
From the "KeysNews" 17/2/09:
"A 66-year-old Key Largo man diving near Pickles Reef was seriously injured Saturday when he was struck by a 20- to 25-foot fishing boat.
Joseph Diver suffered two 8- to 10-inch lacerations to the lower part of one leg and was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, said Bobby Dube, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman. The boat that struck Diver didn't stop, Dube said.
"It's very possible the boater didn't know he hit a diver," Dube said. "I've run boats for 20 years and hit all kinds of things in the water, but usually you have a sense of what you hit when it happens."
Diver was in the water with his two brothers, who are from Michigan. Two women on the dive boat gave officers a general description of the boat that struck Diver, but they did not see the name of the boat. The women told officers the vessel came from behind the dive boat, but it was not traveling recklessly or abnormally, Dube said.
There was a dive flag in the water and all of the divers were within 100 feet of the flag, Dube said.
Diver's injurious were serious, but not life-threatening, Dube said.
Officers are investigating and determining whether charges are appropriate. Dube said if the boater left the scene knowing he hit a person in the water, then felony charges could follow -- provided officers are able to identify the boat and the driver.
"Nine out of 10 times, a boater will stop and render aid if they're aware they hit something or somebody," Dube said. "It all depends on the investigation. He's lucky to be alive, that's for sure."
alinhardt@keysnews.com
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