A screen grab of the scene after the man was pulled from the water.
PHILIPSBURG--The tourist whose lower right foot was severed by the blades of a water taxi propeller during a horrific accident on Tuesday, had jumped into the water and was swimming to the vessel when he was sucked under the back of the boat’s platform resulting in the mishap.
He did not fall between the boat and the pier while either exiting or embarking the vessel as was previously reported to this newspaper by police spokesperson Ethelwoldus Josepha on Tuesday.
A video of the incident shows the man, a passenger of the Ubersoca Cruise that had been visiting the island, swimming to the water taxi and when he attempted to climb onto the back of the boat he slipped off, was sucked under the boat, which led to screams by persons on the boat. He later emerged from under the boat and attempted to climb on to the boat again and was assisted up by a man. When the good Samaritan lifted the injured man, and saw the injuries to his feet, probably due to shock, he dropped him. The good Samaritan however, quickly regained his composure and lifted the man again onto the platform. Loud screams were heard coming from passengers and spectators when the man was lifted out of the water and it became evident that he had lost a part of his foot.
The police said in a statement released on its Facebook page that on April 11, 2023, a tourist aboard a cruise ship in the port suffered a tragic accident in which he lost part of his leg near Bobby's Marina at about 4:00pm. The police said preliminary investigations indicate that the victim had jumped into the sea and swam towards a water taxi anchored on one of the piers. “He then tried to climb onto the back of the water taxi and got his foot caught in the propeller, resulting in the loss of part of his right leg. The victim was provided immediate medical attention and he was immediately transported to a medical center, where he is currently in critical but stable condition. Authorities are currently investigating the incident,” the statement on the police’s Facebook page read.
Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, who was asked about the incident during the live Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday, said from video footage, apparently the man jumped into the water and indicated that the incident was avoidable and stressed that this is why she continuously preaches safety above all else, particularly when persons are under the influence. “And definitely while you are under the influence to be extra careful and never be alone. Have someone have your back because these kinds of things can happen especially around water. We need to be extra careful,” said Jacobs.
