66-year-old angler caught in propeller and fatally run over by boat, Florida cops say

An unmanned boat ran over and killed a 66-year-old angler after he and the driver were suddenly thrown into the water, Florida authorities said.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office identified the deceased as Charles Barnes of Tarpon Springs.

Barnes went fishing on his buddy’s 17-foot boat the morning of Nov. 27, deputies said in a news release.

Barnes was sitting on a cooler on the bow of the boat while his friend was driving when his friend took his hand off the wheel to adjust a fishing pole, according to the sheriff’s office.

The boat jerked right, throwing both men into the Intracoastal Waterway, deputies said. The boat then ran over Barnes, and the propeller ensnared his arm, holding him underwater, according to deputies.

His companion swam back to the boat and tried unsuccessfully to get Barnes out of the water, deputies said. The friend flagged down other boaters, who called 911, but Barnes died at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Through the course of the investigation, deputies determined nothing suspicious was observed and impairment was not a factor in the incident,” investigators said.

The incident happened about two miles north of the Dunedin Causeway.

In 2023, 59 people died in boating accidents in Florida, according to the FWC. The agency recommends that boaters wear life jackets, designate a sober driver and avoid riding on the bow, gunwales or swimming platform.

“If someone falls overboard or unexpectedly ends up in the water, you must have a plan,” the FWC says. “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. Help the person into the boat once the motor is turned off.”

Dunedin is about a 25-mile drive northwest from downtown Tampa.