NewsChief.com reports a teenage girl had part of her leg amputated when two personal watercraft collided on Lake Gibson at a high speed.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission spokesman Gary Morse stated the victim and a 15-year-old girl were riding Polaris jet propelled personal watercaft together about 2:30 p.m. on April 24, 2011 when they collided. It is estimated that both girls were traveling at 30 mph, and the impact severed the 14-year-old’s left leg below the knee. The other girl was not injured.
The FWC has not released either girl’s name but provide photos of the two Polaris personal watercrafts. Both are registered to Bob and Bonnie Roebuck of Lakeland.
Roebuck said the accident happened about 150 yards from his property on the north shore of Lake Gibson. He said the girls had been gone only about five minutes when he heard screaming and got in a boat to rescue the girl, bringing her back to his dock. The injured teenager was helivaced to Tampa General Hospital. Neither of the teens completed the boater-safety course required in Florida for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1988.
Photo of the damaged Polaris personal watercrafts
