Coastguard urge boaters to use the kill cord after a father and son were hurt by their motorboat
A 41-year-old father and his 25-year-old son were seriously hurt after they were run over by their own motorboat in Cornwall.
The pair were thrown from their speeding vessel, a 17ft Dory with an outboard engine, and were both hit by the propeller while they struggled in the water at Pentewan Sands, near Mevagissey.
Upon recovering the boat, the RNLI discovered that the kill cord had been wrapped around the steering column.
Paramedics treated the pair before an air ambulance took the father, who had suffered severe head injuries, to Treliske hospital for urgent medical attention.
The son was transferred by land ambulance to the same hospital.
Nick Ratcliff, Duty Watch Manager at Brixham Coastguard said, “It seems that the vessel had somehow hit the bottom and thrown both father and son out, and the uncontrolled boat had then circled, hitting them both twice.”
“We urgently recommend to boaters that the kill cord be attached around your leg or securely to your personal buoyancy aid. In either case it should not foul the steering or gear controls.”
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been informed of the incident.
