RedactedNarrative: On 23 August 2016 I was on boat patrol on Deep Creek Lake, Garrett County, MD.  I heard Garrett County dispatch a medical call to the Deep Creek Lake Marina in Marsh Hill Cove of Deep Creek Lake.  The call was for an amputation involving a seven (7) year old child.  The child was still in the boat at the Marina Gas Pumps.  I began a response to that location by vessel and arrived at approximately 1213 hours.  Cpl. was also responding to the call.
   
     Upon arrival medical personnel were already on scene including a medic and the Director of Emergency Management for Garrett County.  I observed a young female child in the rear of the vessel being treated for injuries to the left foot and right arm.  I also noticed four (4) additional children on the docks, all appeared upset, one in particular.  I decided to get the children off the dock and on shore, away from the medical personnel.  
  
  Before leaving the vessel I did confirm the identity of the operator.  Once on shore I tried to calm the children down.  I collected names, addresses, and phone numbers.  One child stated to me that her sister had gotten her foot entangled in the tow rope while they were launching a tuber from the rear of the boat.  Subject1 stated that when the boat took off Victim got caught in the rope and was pulled out of the boat by the rope.   A brother, Subject2, was feeding the ski line out of the boat.  Subject2 gave me a similar statement.  Subject3, another sister to the victim, was on the tube at the time of the incident.  Subject3 was especially upset, claiming that it was all her fault since she was the one who wanted to tube.  She was not able to be interviewed in detail due to her emotional condition. 
   
  Victim was taken by ambulance to the nearby Garrett County Fairgrounds.  She was flown to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV by Health Net Aviation.  Victim's, mother, Victim’s mother, accompanied her on the helicopter.  Director advised me that the rope had wrapped around the left foot.  It had cut through the bone and tissue.  The foot was attached by only 1/2 inch of tissue.  The rope was still wrapped around the leg and arm.  It was cut away by medical staff.  The child was stable, but in shock.  She also had rope injury to her right arm.  Victim was wearing a life jacket which medical personnel cut away from her.
   
  I spoke to the father of Victim.  He was also the boats operator at the time of the incident.  He advised that he had rented the boat at 1130 hours from the Aquatic Center. The boat was a Yamaha SX190 open bow jet drive vessel.  Maryland Registration 3221 LB.  Operator operated the boat for a while to get familiar with its operation.  He believes that the incident occurred some time around 1145 hours to noon. They stopped just south of the 219 bridge.  They decided to start tubing with a tube that was also rented from the Aquatic Center.   
  
  Subject3 was on the tube. Subject2 was feeding out the tow rope from the rear of the vessel.  Subject2 stated that everything was ready and that Operator could give the vessel throttle.  Operator stated that he heard screaming, put the throttle in neutral, and turned around to the rear of the boat.  Subject1 stated that Victim was pulled off the boat by the rope.  Operator stated that he could see Victim off the back of the boat, just under the surface of the water.  Subject2, a certified lifeguard, dove into the water and brought Victim to the boat.  The family got her into the boat and drove to Deep Creek Marina for help.  They stopped at Deep Creek Marina after they realized that they had passed the Aquatic Center.  The family called 911 while enroute.  Operator stated that he had very little experience boating but had watched the necessary video at the Aquatic Center.  Cpl. provided a PBT test to Operator which he agreed to take.  The test results were a .00 BAC.
  
      Cpl. contacted Lt. to advise him of the incident.  He also provided Operator with a ride to the Aquatic Center to pick up his vehicle so that he could return to the Deep Creek Marina to pick up his family.  Photos of the vessel were taken and rental documentation was collected from the Aquatic Center.  I took inventory of the vessel prior to leaving the Deep Creek Marina.  I found eight (8) adult lifejackets, one (1) child lifejacket, and (1) infant lifejacket. I also found a throwable device and a fire extinguisher.  There were no personal items belonging to the family in the vessel, except one partially consumed energy drink can.  Cpl. had brought back a staff member from the Aquatic Center to drive the boat back to their dock.  I rode along and requested that he make some maneuvers with the vessel to test its operation.  Steering, neutral, idle, and overall performance of the boat seemed operational.  Operator did not indicate that the mechanical operation of the vessel contributed in any way with the accident.  I spoke to three other staff members at the Aquatic Center docks.  They advised that the party had received an in depth safety review of the vessel and how to handle the feeding of the tow rope as they do with all their customers.  
  
     No charges were placed against Operator or members of his party.  This incident seems to have been truly an accident where Victim became entangled with a loose rope as it was being feed out during normal tubing activity.
  