I am a survivor of a major boat propellor accident back for round two of AmA!

Do you feel sympathy for manatees?

I connect with manatees on a spiritual level at this point in life.

I never had any sort of major accident before. I’ve never even broken a bone. I’ve heard my whole life though, that when something like that happens, it happens so fast and it’s so sharp that you somehow don’t feel a thing.

How true is that? I know there had to be pain after the accident. But the actual second it happened plus the minutes after, could you actually feel it?

Thanks for the cool AMA. Super cool to see you’re doing well.

I can confirm what everyone says, I knew that something hit me in the water, but i didn’t think it was the propellor. I was tangled up under the boat and had to get my shorts off to get above water. It wasn’t until i was treading water that i reached for what felt like a bruise or cramp and stuck my hand into my open wound. 15-20 minutes before the first burst of adrenaline wore off and the pain really set in.

Hmm, that's odd. I shattered three bones awhile ago and it was instant, blinding pain. The pain didn't get any better for at least a week. After surgery it was less pronounced, but still debilitating for at least a couple of weeks and still excruciating for at least a month.

I have broken numerous bones as well. The pain from my breaks was definitely instant and intense. No reason why or how the body handles the situations differently.

How bad was the pain? 1-10? I ask cause why if you were out alone, could you still have been cognizant to get yourself help or is it blackout like pain?

I am probably not the best person to ask for this because my whole life I have had an incredibly high tolerance for pain. To the point where I hurt myself more than I should. The body interprets pain as a “stop doing what you are doing” signal and because it takes more for me to get there, by the time I feel significant pain the damage is already done.

In the scenario it means I never went above a 6 or so on my personal 1-10 scale. Had I been alone I believe I would have been able to help myself, however significantly slower. The only thing that may have been impossible is getting up onto the boat. My buddy pulled me up by one hand even though i was ~180 pounds. Not sure I could have climbed up into it on my own.

Are you by chance a redhead?

Nope I’ve got blonde/brown hair, I do however have a red beard.

Have you considered zebra stripes tattoos?

I would but i don’t know if zebras are black with white stripes or white with black stripes.... and at this point I’m too afraid to ask

They're black with white stripes, now go tattoo your whole body

Seems legit to me

I just read the first few lines of your first AMA and cannot fathom WHAT THE FUCK went through that dude's head in order to actually try to "brake check" you. Disbelief.

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Do you still enjoy boats? If you do, how was it getting out on one for the first time post accident? If you don't, do you see yourself getting back out on one ever?

I would say I can definitely still enjoy boating, but just in general in life I’m a little “uneasy” in dangerous situations like heights or boating. Especially with my kids. Just always cognizant of the potential for what can go wrong. The first time i went boating after the accident i mainly just sat down and held on haha

Edit: Disbelief is the perfect word to describe how i feel about his decision

If you read the manual for any boat it says all passengers should be seated and holding on while the boat is in motion... After an accident, I'd 100% be doing that lol!

You can trust I will always be seared on moving boats from now on.

Edit: where were you with the manual when I got hurt? Honestly feels like your fault at this point.

pineapple on pizza?

100% yes

How did this propel your life forward?

I would say the accident help me really cut out the negativity and really severe my ties with the past.

Edit: on mobile and I keep replying to questions as top level comments. Sorry I’m a dummy.

Did the bandaid help keep the wound closed?

Clearly the bandaid was the only thing keeping her from bursting open! Also, once the bandaid is on the booboo goes away right?

What injuries did you sustain? Any broken bones or just muscle/tendon damage

There were no broken bones. The biggest issues were the hamstring being mostly severed, but the fascia damage I sustained has been equally difficult long-term!

Are you able to walk or even run in your current state?

I am capable of both walking and running which is a blessing, but any extended walking and running leads to pain in various forms: tightness, shin splints, joint pain, etc.

Lots of people have shin splints and joint pain when running because they run with incorrect form. If you were interested, there may be a couple tweaks to your gait that would help you.

I agree that my form is probably sub-par these days...the 40 extra pounds certainly doesn’t help either 😔

Those 40 pounds prolly saved u from bone tbh. Lucky

The 40lbs came after the accident, as a result of it essentially. My doctors did tell me my large muscle mass from long term weightlifting for football was the only reason I kept my leg!

There were no broken bones. The biggest issues were the hamstring being mostly severed, but the fascia damage I sustained has been equally difficult long-term!

How did you survive the massive blood loss until the paramedics arrived? Did your friends apply a tourniquet?

I tied a makeshift tourniquet myself with a long sleeve t-shirt, but I’m not certain that’s what saved my leg. I think i was just fortunate enough to have no major arteries cut.

Do you feel a sense of camaraderie with the guy in titanic who fell and hit the propeller on the way down?

I've been desperately hoping for a re-boot so I can fulfill my life goal of being "propellor guy" in the credits!

What's going through your head when you see how bad it is?
What does shock feel like?

I dint really know how to answer the shock question. I never felt like I was in shock. Maybe that’s from all the numerous times I’d been hurt before that I was just used to it. I was level headed enough to walk through with paramedics what happened and call my parents as well.

As far as how bad, i just remember the moment I felt the wound i was treading water and just called over to the boat that it was really bad. Once I was out of the water I could see the fat hanging down and the blood on the deck, but my friends faces were what really let me know how bad it truly was. I am certain they were in shock more so than I was.

Whats your favourite type of boat?

Ones without propellers ;)

Which are?

I guess that leaves jet skis and other in-board motors. I’m no expert though, I’m just the guy who gets hit by them.

in-board motors still have a prop off the back. What about sailboats?

I’m all about the idea of sailing! Sounds relaxing. I’ve never been though!

My sister and bro-n-law have a sailboat and go almost every weekend. I have also never been sailing

I’m not saying you should steal there boat for a joy ride... but I’m also not telling you not too..

Are you secretly a boat masochist?

If so I’m not so good at keeping the secret 😔

How's that bandaid holding you up?

Only thing holding me together at the moment, honestly

Have you returned to boating since your accident?

I’ve been boating a handful of times since the accident. Nothing crazy :)

Do you still know the driver?

I haven’t seen him in several years, so i would say not really. Just grew apart.

Do you have a made up reason or story you give people, just for grins (e.g. I was bit by a camel), who see your scars and ask what happened?

I plan to scare the kids when they’re older “if you don’t behave mommy will do this to you too!”

But so far most people think it’s a shark attack!

Wow. This is crazy. I noticed the little blue band aid, did it help as much as you hoped?

I can’t imagine going through this. My whole body cried.

The bandaid definitely helped! Without it the whole thing would have torn wide open!

Holy cow that's brutal. What has been your favorite response from someone that just learned of your accident?

I also got sliced up by a boat propeller but not nearly as bad as yours. I have a 5-inch scar on my right hip from the driver starting up the boat not realizing I was still climbing back in. Similar to you I didn't know what happened at first until someone pointed out my bathing suit was shredded and covered in blood.

Glad you're doing ok!

I enjoy the shocked reactions people get when they hear about my story! Nothing particular stands out though.

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I can’t say for certain if it’s PTSD, but i definitely think about the accident every single time i see a pontoon boat. I still go boating, however, very infrequently. Likely a mix of avoiding boats just in general as well as just being in a different stage of life, not many opportunities to go boating these days!

We’re you able to keep your composure after you realized the extent of the damage? I feel like I would’ve freaked the fuck out. Sorry this happened to you 😢

Yes I stayed relatively calm throughout the process. I was the one who dialed my parents to let them know. “Hey mom, can I talk to dad please? .... Hey dad, I cut my leg pretty badly and they are taking me to the hospital near the lake” at that point the paramedics informed them that the lifeflight helicopter was dispatched instead and would be picking me up at the lake. I’m sure any reassurance I gave them was instantly gone when they heard that the Lifeflight was requested by paramedics.

I finally broke down later at the hospital when some jackass doctor told me I would probably never run again. I’m glad to have beaten his initial prognosis and live a relatively comfortable life, but that just not something you tell an 18 year old.

Have you returned to boating since your accident?

I have gone boating a few times, I don’t make it a habit though :)

I have been boating a handful of times since the accident, I don't really seek it out though.

Did it hurt?

Initially no, surprisingly, 15-20 minutes after and everyday since, yes.

Has anyone ever jokingly called you ceviche?

Not that I’m aware, I’m not certain what that means.

Was that on Gaston?

Nope, Kerr lake

I haven’t read through all the questions, so forgive me is this is a reports, but were there any concerns about infection from the water you were in?

They had me on every antibiotic they could get their hands on in the hospital, and let me tell you those will put a hurting on you.

You're made of meat?

It would appear that I am :/

Someone else asked this but how is your movement after the recovery? Can you run?

I can run, but the accident has left me prone to injuries like sprains and ligament tears (the hamstring ties in with your calf to provide support to the knee) a lot of that support is compromised in my leg. Add 40 extra pounds since the accident and it’s a recipe for disaster haha

What was your recovery like?

To be honest it’s still ongoing 9 years later. Immediately following it consisted of twice daily changing of wound dressings, range of motion exercises, scar tissue management, numerous plastic surgeries to remove scar tissue, lots of PT. I was in the hospital for 18 days.

I still have to stretch daily and I regularly have to go to physical therapy still.

Do you still speak to the guy that ran you over?

No I haven’t spoken with him in several years. We just grew apart, maybe it was related to the accident, but I’m not actively avoiding him. Can’t speak for him though.

Would you recommend using a propeller as a pizza slicer?

It depends how you like your slices, if mangled and messy is your style then absolutely yes i would recommend!