RedactedNarrative: On July 6th 2019 at around 1400 hours I was notified by email that a boating accident had occurred in the area of Harmon Creek on Lake Cumberland in Wayne County Kentucky.  Per the Computer Aided Dispatch report I received I became aware that a subject had been struck by a boat propeller and that the subject was reportedly being transported by Wayne County EMS.  
  
  I had just come onto duty and began to gather more information as I began driving toward the location that the victim would be.  Local dispatch advised me that the victim had been brought to an ambulance at Attrahunt Boat Ramp and that the victim was going to be air lifted from a landing zone on Hwy 789.  I drove to highway 789 and met the ambulance there to assess the victim and begin gathering information.  As I arrived I was informed that the victim had been brought to the ramp by Rangers with the USACE.  I stepped into the ambulance and noticed the victim had what appeared to be propeller marks beginning at his  left shoulder and extending down to his left hip.  There were also some lacerations on his left arm.  The lacerations appeared to be shallow at the shoulder area and gradually became much deeper near his hip.  The EMTs advised that the victim was in shock and that due to the USACE Rangers triage much blood loss had been prevented.  The victim then began speaking with me and was able to tell me what had happened leading up to his injury.  He smelled strongly of alcoholic beverage and admitted to having consumed around six alcoholic beverages throughout the day, as had everyone else on the boat.  His speech was also slurred.  He also told me that he was unsure of who was driving the boat at the time of injury as he had been on the top deck and the driver had been operating from below.  He was able to tell me that his group had rented two houseboats from Beaver Creek Resort and he advised me of the boat numbers assigned by the marina.  
  
  He could not tell me from which houseboat he had came however he was sure that he had been struck by the boat he had been a passenger on.  He also was able to provide me with his identifying information as well as phone number.  He also was able to tell me several people who were on the houseboat with him.  When asked how he had been struck by the boat he had been a passenger on he advised me that he along with two other males had been riding on the top deck of the houseboat and jumped into the lake while the boat was underway.  He stated the operator could not have known they were doing so as the boat was being driven from the console downstairs.  
  
  The victim and through subsequent interviews with other passengers it was determined the houseboat was underway and had just began turning around as the three jumped from the top deck of the boat into the water.  The victim stated that as he began to surface the stern of the boat passed overhead and he was struck by the propeller.  He also added that his swim trucks had been cut off as this happened.  He said that the two other passengers who had jumped alongside him had been able to get to him and pull him away from the vicinity of the propeller.  He said the operator then stopped the boat and other members of his party had been able to get him on the rear deck of the boat to help him.  He stated he was lucky because none of the three had been wearing personal flotation devices while jumping.  The victim said one of the people on the boat called 911.  He then said a patrol boat had brought him to the ambulance.  
  
  The medical helicopter arrived around this time and I was advised that the victim would be transported to the University of Kentucky Trauma Center due to the severe nature of his injuries and the high chance of developing infection.  
  
  Operator1 admitted to the officers that he had consumed alcoholic beverages just prior to the accident and   stated he did not consume any alcoholic beverages after the accident.  Operator1 voluntarily submitted to a Preliminary Breath Test at 1601 hours and the result at that time were .049.  Operator1 was not arrested or cited at the time he was encountered.  
  
  Conclusions
  
  Alcohol use was a contributing factor to the incident
  -- the operator of the vessel had a BrAC of .049 nearly three hours after the accident and nearly three hours after consuming any alcoholic beverage
  --the victim admittingly had consumed 6 alcoholic beverages prior to the accident
  
  Passenger behavior was a contributing factor
  --while the vessel was still underway 3 passengers made the decision to jump into the water
  
  All witnesses interviewed shared a consistent version of the series of events leading up to the victim being injured.  The victim, the operator of the vessel and all other passengers stated the operator could not see the three men jump from the top deck of the houseboat.  They all also said as soon as the operator heard screams he stopped the vessel and rendered aid.  The operator of the vessel at the time of the accident is the caller to 911 reporting the accident. 
  
  
  This report will be forwarded to the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office to review and await their decision on the filing of criminal charges in this case.
  
  