Two injured in boating accident on Lake Ontario

Posted at: 07/31/2012 9:55 AM | Updated at: 07/31/2012 12:09 PM

Mechanical failure is to blame for a boating accident that injured two people on Lake Ontario over the weekend.

Cayuga County Sheriff’s Deputies were on routine patrol in the area of McIntyre Bluffs when they saw a boat one mile from shore veering left, doing circles, without anyone on board.

Deputies saw two men in the water without life preservers, yelling for help.

The two men, 19-year-old Christopher Pritcher and 22-year-old Matthew Pritcher, told deputies they were going about 30 miles per hour when the boat veered to the left, throwing them both overboard and leaving a female on the boat, 21-year-old Ashley Crawford, unconscious. Matthew Pritcher struck the prop with his right ankle, nearly amputating it.

According to deputies, the boat was still out of control when Crawford finally regained consciousness and cut the boat engine.

Matthew Pritcher was taken to the hospital where doctors were able to reattach his foot. Crawford is currently being treated for head and internal injuries.

Deputies say the boat had all the proper safety equipment. They determined the cause to be mechanical failure when the steering cable came unhooked from the anchor point in the engine compartment causing a sudden left turn while the boat was traveling approximately 30 miles per hour.

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