Watercraft Officers observed Vessel 1, with four persons aboard, drifting on the Chagrin River with one Occupant (the Victim) leaning over the engine of Vessel 1.  Officers then observed the Operator of Vessel 1 proceed to start the engine.  The Victim began yelling that "his finger had been cut off" and was holding his right hand with his left hand.  The tip of the Victim’s right hand, middle finger, was amputated when it was caught between a belt and one of the pulleys on the vessel’s engine as it was started by the Operator.  The Victim held his hand elevated above his head and kept pressure on his right middle finger.  The observing Watercraft Officers yelled over to the Operator to pull Vessel 1 into a nearby fuel dock and radioed for emergency services.  Vessel 1 started and stalled several times as the Operator tried to pilot it to the fuel dock.  Once secured to the dock, Officers observed that the Victim's right hand middle finger had been amputated from behind the nail to the tip of the finger.  The portion of the severed finger was found in the bilge of the vessel and packed in ice but was unable to be reattached upon arrival at the hospital.
Eastlake                      