A 7-year-old child suffered critical injuries Saturday evening after being struck by a boat propeller on Canandaigua Lake, according to the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded around 5:30 p.m. to the Lake House in the City of Canandaigua for a reported boating injury that occurred about a mile offshore. Investigators said the child was riding on a pontoon boat with family members when a large wave propelled the child up, out of and in front of the moving vessel.
According to the sheriff’s office, the child landed in the water between two pontoons and was struck by the boat’s propeller as the vessel passed over them. The propeller caused a severe laceration to the child’s leg, resulting in what authorities described as a critical injury.
Adults aboard the boat, including the child’s father, immediately entered the water and were able to get the child back onto the vessel before returning to shore. Deputies, Canandaigua Emergency Medical Services personnel and civilians assisted in stabilizing the child upon arrival at shore.
The child was later transported by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment. The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident with assistance from Canandaigua EMS and Mercy Flight.
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