Source: WSVN 7 News
A snorkeler taking part in the lobster mini-season was critically injured after he was struck by a vessel in the Florida Keys. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers were dispatched to Boca Chica Bridge after reports of a single-vessel accident involving a snorkeler at around 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
“They were at the bridge. “He hit them right there at the bridge,” he told a deputy.
The snorkeler, Sean Steven Bender, was snorkeling under the Boca Chica Bridge in the Lower Keys when he was struck. The vessel’s propeller severed his arm and cut his head and neck.
Bodycam video shows deputies and first responders working to rescue Bender with family members by his side.
A family friend told 7News that Bender’s arm was severed by the vessel’s propeller, but doctors were able to successfully reattach it.
According to FWC, the snorkeler is from Central Florida but was in town to participate in the two-day lobster mini-season.
The event has been set with a number of incidents, like vessels capsizing and a family of 13 having to be rescued from a sinking vessel.
No one was injured in these incidents, according to the FWC.
Bender’s family is asking for privacy at this time.
Officials are investigating the incident. No arrests have been made.
WHO SHOULD I CALL?
For over two decades, the lawyers at Suarez & Montero have been helping accident victims and their families collect just financial compensation and see justice for their injuries and losses.
Call our law firm today at (305) 631-1911 to speak with one of our personal injury lawyers who will be able to inform you of your eligibility towards compensation for your injuries and losses that you may have incurred due to a recent accident.
