RedactedNarrative: On August 6, 2021 at 1548 hours, Maryland Natural Resources Police, responded to a boat accident that resulted with an eleven (11) year old boy being struck by the prop of a pontoon boat on the Upper Potomac River in the area of Four Locks located in Clear Spring, Maryland.
  When I arrived on scene, Clear Spring Fire Company and I quickly prepared and launched vessel NRP 897.  Two (2) paramedic personnel and I traveled up stream and contacted a pontoon boat, baring Maryland Registration '6633 BW' with six (6) people on board, three (3) adults and three (3) children.  One (1) of which was a paramedic later of Clear Spring Ambulance Company and the injured child later identified as VICTIM 1. Paramedic jumped on board the pontoon to help stabilize VICTIM 1.  Once the child was stabilized, VICTIM 1 was transferred to my vessel along with two (2) paramedics and the child's mother.  We quickly transported VICTIM 1 back to the Four Locks Boat Ramp where he was transferred to a Medic Unit.  The medic unit quickly transported the injured child to a landing zone setup and he was transported by Maryland State Police medevac to the Children's Hospital in Washington D.C.  VICTIM 1 suffered a laceration to the left thigh cutting his femoral artery and a laceration to his right foot nearly amputating the foot entirely.  Investigator for Maryland Natural Resources Police was called the Children's Hopsital in Washington D.C. to conduct the investigation further. 
      At 2048 hours, I spoke with INVESTIGATOR.  He had just left the Children's Hospital in Washington D.C. after speaking VICTIM 1’s parents.  Cpl. INVESTIGATOR advised he left written statements for both parents to fill out at their earliest convenience and was given a brief summary of the events.  OPERATOR 1 told INVESTIGATOR he was the operator of the vessel and they had launched their vessel from the River Bend Campground area along the Potomac River.  OPERATOR 1 stated, they started traveling upstream and the mother was assisting all of the children with getting on their life jackets.  Once VICTIM 1 had his life jacket on, he moved toward the front of the pontoon boat.  He opened the front gate and stepped onto the front platform while the vessel was in motion.  Soon after, the family dog bumped VICTIM 1.  He fell into the water from the bow of the vessel and was sucked under and was struck by the propeller.  Before OPERATOR 1 was able to stop the vessel, he heard VICTIM 1 screaming in pain from behind the vessel.  OPERATOR 1 then jumped into the water and brought VICTIM 1 to the side of the vessel where OPERATOR 1’s wife was waiting to start with first aid.  The parents flagged down other vessels to assist with getting help, contacted 911 and applied a tourniquet to the child's left leg that suffered a cut to artery in the area of his thigh.  
      On August 7, 2021, I received a copy of OPERATOR 1's statement from INVESTIGATOR (see attachments).  I called, OPERATOR 1 at 1112 hours and left him a message to contact me at his earliest convenience.
      On August 8, 2021 at 1849 hours, OPERATOR 1 returned my phone call and provided the same statement that was previously provided to INVESTIGATOR.    
      All events occurred in Washington County, Maryland.
  On 06 August 2021 at approximately 1830 Hours, I, INVESTIGATOR of the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) Criminal Investigations Section (CIS), was contacted by regarding a boating accident in Clear Spring, Maryland.  I was advised a juvenile had been seriously injured and was flown by Maryland State Police (MSP) medevac to Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.  I was requested to respond to the hospital, and make contact with the victim and his family to assist the field investigation.
  
  At approximately 2000 Hours, I arrived at Children’s National and made contact with ER staff and hospital social workers, who relayed the following information:
  VICTIM 1 had been flown to the hospital with a deep laceration to his right thigh, and extensive damage to his left foot at and below the ankle.  He was currently in stable condition, and awaiting surgical consults with the Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital to determine which institution would be best suited to conduct surgery due to the vasculature damage.  The attending surgeon relayed that Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital had determined they would not be able to do anything more than Children’s National, and that flying VICTIM 1 to Baltimore was not necessary.  It was also determined that there was still functioning vasculature in his lower left leg and foot, which meant that the foot would not be removed at this time.  Surgeons were to leave the wounds open to try and clean and help fight infection, clean bone debris and reset broken bones, begin repairing vasculature and ligament, and further assess injury.
  I made contact with VICTIM 1’s parents, OPERATOR 1’s wife and OPERATOR 1, in the Emergency Department of Children’s National Hospital after this information was relayed to them.  VICTIM 1 was sedated and intubated, and his left foot was heavily bandaged.  I was able to learn the following from talking with both parents:
  
  OPERATOR 1’s wife, OPERATOR 1, VICTIM 1, their two other younger children (7 and 4), and their approximately 130lbs Mastiff-Labrador, left from their campground in West Virginia in the mid-afternoon on a friends pontoon boat.  OPERATOR 1 was operating the vessel, which he stated was powered by an old 90HP outboard engine.  OPERATOR 1 indicated his speed was not very fast, as the older engine was not capable of getting the boat moving quickly.  They had headed out from the campground towards an area of the river in which they regularly fish.  OPERATOR 1 estimated this location is approximately 30 minutes away from the campground, and they had been traveling approximately 20 or 30 minutes.  OPERATOR 1’s wife stated she had put a lifejacket on VICTIM 1, and was attempting to do the same on her other two children.  She heard the front gate of the pontoon boat open, and she saw VICTIM 1 on the front deck outside of the gated area.  She told him she did not want him outside the gate, and was struggling to get the other lifejackets on her other two children.  While she was looking down and working on a lifejacket, she heard a bang and felt the boat jump.  She looked forward and did not see VICTIM 1, and began to panic.  She looked to the rear of the boat and saw VICTIM 1 in the water behind the boat, no longer wearing a lifejacket and with his shorts missing.  OPERATOR 1’s wife recalled seeing blood in the water.
  OPERATOR 1 jumped into the water to rescue VICTIM 1.  He recalled treading water and trying to get VICTIM 1 into the boat, but was unable due to the height of the deck from the waterline.  OPERATOR 1 recalled trying to get the swim ladder down, eventually getting it free and using it to get VICTIM 1 and himself into the boat.  OPERATOR 1 placed VICTIM 1 on the seating area of the pontoon boat; both he and OPERATOR 1’s wife recalled VICTIM 1 was bleeding very badly from his thigh.  VICTIM 1 had stated to his parents that their dog had knocked him into the water while he was on the front of the boat.  OPERATOR 1 used the dog’s leash as a makeshift tourniquet to control the bleeding, then applied a bungee cord as well.  OPERATOR 1’s wife began yelling for someone to call 911, and recalled her 7 year old son operating the boat towards other boats for help.  
  