RedactedNarrative: On Monday September 6, 2021 at approximately 1400, vessel 1 struck a shoal causing 1 death.
  
  Vessel 1 was traveling from Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island.  Vessel 1 was headed in a south-westerly direction approximately 20-30 mph at the time of impact with the shoal.  Vessel 1 had 6 people on board; occupants 1-3 (numbered left to right) were sitting on the bow, occupant 4 on the seat in front of the center console with operator and occupant 5 behind the console. When vessel 1 struck the shoal, occupants 1 and 2 were tossed into the water.  Occupant 2/deceased was struck by the propeller multiple times beginning at the hip continuing up towards the head.
  
  Once the vessel came to rest, occupants noticed occupant 2/deceased floating face down in the water.  Occupants 1 and 4 assisted getting occupant 2/deceased back into the vessel.  Occupants tried to cover occupant 2/deceased wounds with a towel and ice to slow bleeding along with attempting CPR. 
  
  Two nearby vessels witnessed the incident and heard screams coming from vessel 1. One of the vessels immediately went to assist vessel 1.  The operator of the witnessing vessel drove vessel 1 to south dock on Ocracoke to meet paramedics.  Occupant 2/deceased was pronounced dead by the medical examiner.
  
  The cause of the incident was operator inexperience combined with operating in unfamiliar shallow water and occupants sitting on the bow of the vessel.  The operator has had no formal operator instruction with little experience in the operation of vessels. There was no navigational electronics on board the vessel.
  
  Based upon interviews of the occupants and operator of vessel 1, they had been out on the boat for several hours. They had stopped at several sand bars prior to the incident and the occupants admitted to consuming alcohol, which was evidenced by the empty alcoholic beverage containers in the cooler.  The reported operator of the vessel had not consumed any alcohol. Life jackets were readily accessible but were not used.
  
  
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