RedactedNarrative: on 07/09/2016 at approximately 5:00 pm, a boating incident occurred on mountain island lake near duck cove. the vessel was a 9-foot 1997 kawasaki pwc with a 130 hp motor.  when the pwc struck a wake, the impact of the pwc striking the wake caused operator to fall from the vessel and break his left leg.
   
  operator was with a large group of friends that launched a pontoon boat and a pwc from neck road access area near huntersville, nc. operator borrowed the pwc.  it was operator's first time ever operating a pwc.  the group traveled upriver north of the sandbar area towards duck cove.  
  
  operator operated the pwc in front of and out of sight of the group he was with.  the lake in this area is relatively narrow approximatley 150 yards across.  he stated that another vessel was in front of him approximatley 100 yards.  he saw the wake coming from the vessel in front of him and attempted to cross it.  he stated that he did not know what to expect when the pwc struck the wake.  the pwc struck the wake, went airborne for a brief moment, and then struck the surface of the water.  the impact caused operator to fall overboard on the left or port side of the vessel.  the fall/impact caused his left leg to break.  He was unable to climb back on the pwc.  he was wearing a type iii pfd.  he floated in the lake for approximately 5 minutes until the group he was with arrived on scene in the pontoon boat. they pulled him from the water, called 911 and met medic at neck road access area.  operator was transported to novant huntersville for treatment.  the vessel was not damaged. 
  
  it is apparent that operator inexperience is the primary cause of this incident.   operator did not know how to manipulate the pwc over a wake. 
  
  no one was charged as a result of this incident. 
  no other people other than operator witnessed the incident.
  
  operator did not speak english, interview was conducted via telephone interpreter.