Vessel-1 struck swimmer-1 with prop

Vessel-1 was on the Highway north side of Spanish Harbor in the Atlantic Ocean (near the Boy Scout Camp) at approximately 1200hrs on the day of 10Sept2013 . There was one Operator and two swimmers. The two Swimmers (Swimmer-1 and Swimmer-2) were being pulled behind Vessel-1 by the Operator. Swimmer-1(Victim) let go of the tow rope to retrieve a lobster he passed over. The Operator stopped the boat while the Victim voluntarily swam to Vessel-1 to drop off a lobster he retrieved. The Victim handed the operator his net with a lobster to measure for legal size while Swimmer-2 continued to dive for lobster. The Operator got the lobster from the net and handed it back to the victim.  While the Operator was placing the legal lobster in the cooler the Operator lost sight of the Victim. The Operator then yelled for the Victim to be aware of his location not realizing the boat was still in reverse,. The victim yelled back "my shorts are caught in the prop". At that time the Victim tried to pull his shorts from the prop when his leg was struck by the prop. The Operator immediately shut the engine off and went to the back of Vessel-1 where the Victim was in the water at the stern of Vessel-1 bleeding from the leg. The Operator then helped the Victim into the Vessel and performed first aid on the Victim. That's when the Operator got Swimmer-2 back to the Vessel who did not see or have any awareness that the accident happened. They immediately called 911 to report the accident and requested medical assistance. They proceeded to land where they left from at Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge. The Victim was interviewed by Officer at Fisherman's Hospital in Marathon, Florida. The Victim had multiple lacerations to the left leg, left calf, back of left knee, left Achilles tendon, and left tibial fracture.
BIG PINE KEY