On June 1st 2012, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (herein referred to as FWC) dispatch center in Orlando was notified of a single vessel airboat crash which resulted in injuries to an elderly male passenger.  The incident occurred on May 28th 2012 at 1145 hours on the St. Johns River south of Highway 50.  I made contact with the vessel owner and met with him and his wife at their residence on June 2nd 2012 at 1500 hours.  I met with the victim on June 12th 2012 at his residence after he had been discharged from the Sea Pines Rehabilitation Center.
Operator was operating his airboat (herein referred to as V1) on the St. Johns River with two as passengers.  Victim is battling Leukemia and has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment.  Operator was operating V1 at a low speed due to Victim's physical condition.  As the departed the Cypress Forest and were making their way back to the main river, V1 impacted the bank on its starboard side.  Upon impacting the bank, Victim was unable to remain in his seat and fell overboard onto the sand.  Victim fell onto his face/head when V1 came to an abrupt stop.  He felt his neck pop, but refused to seek treatment at that time and stated he was O.K.  Later that day, at his residence, the operator and wife convinced Victim to let them take him to the hospital.  They drove him to Parrish Medical Center in Titusville, where he was diagnosed as having a fracture to his C2 vertebra.  He was transported to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, where his vertebra was fused.


BITHLO                        