Propeller kills woman who went overboard on pontoon boat, Florida authorities say

A woman was killed in a boating accident when she went overboard and was injured by a propeller, Florida authorities said.

At about 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 21, a group of eight people were on a pontoon boat on the Ocklawaha River when the woman went overboard, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The propeller struck her, and she was rushed to a hospital but died on the way there, officials said in a July 22 news release.

The incident happened near Nelson’s Outdoor Resort, formerly known as Nelson’s Fish Camp, in Umatilla, according to the FWC.

The investigation is ongoing. Officers haven’t released the woman’s identity.

The FWC instructs boaters to turn the motor completely off when anyone is in the water and have a plan in place if someone goes overboard.

“Be prepared to slow down quickly, throw the person a throwable flotation device (unless the person is wearing a life jacket) and approach from downwind or into the current,” experts advise. “Help the person into the boat when the motor is turned off.”

Umatilla is in Marion County and is about a 45-mile drive northwest from Orlando.