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Last updated on Thursday, June 6, 2013
(BLOOMINGTON) - A Bedford man was seriously injured after he fell from a boat and both of his legs were hit by the propeller.
After notification of family members, the Bedford man injured in a boating accident at Monroe Reservoir has been identified as Michael Cain.
According to Indiana Conservation Officer Angela Goldman, officers were called to Monroe Reservoir Wednesday when they received a report that a 68-year-old Bedford man was injured.
Goldman says that the man, who is not being named at this time, was with his 44-year-old son when they attempted to make a left turn in the boat. For an unknown reason, the boat cut hard to the left and caused the man to fall from the boat. The man was then hit by the rear of the boat and the propeller hit both his legs and his right arm.
The son was able to stop the boat and rescue his father from the water, Goldman says. Neither men were wearing life jackets during the incident.
Then other boaters on the lake, helped the son get back to the boat ramp.
The man was transported by an ambulance to IU Health Hospital and then flown by helicopter to Methodist Hospital.
Goldman says as more Hoosiers take to the water this summer, conservation officers are encouraging all boaters to follow recommended safe boating practices. This includes utilizing an engine kill switch cord. This is a small cord that runs from the ignition and is meant to be attached to the operator. In the event that the operator is ejected from the boat, the engine is immediately stopped, keeping the boat from running over the operator or crashing, unmanned, into shore.
Although it cannot prevent all boating accidents, this small device, when worn properly, can prevent injury similar to what this victim sustained.
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