Friend just told me he was boating near League City on Saturday when one of the young women on the boat fell off the back and was tangled in the propeller. Said she lost a leg and was life flighted to the hospital. Unfortunately she passed several hours ago due to complications. He said she was a recent grad of A&M but I can't confirm. Just terrible.

Be safe out there. Stuff can turn on a dime.

https://www.kherkhergarcia.com/news-boating-accident-on-clear-lake-injures-woman/

Damn. Was out there yesterday. Bad stuff can happen quickly and easily when not paying attention.

Yep, she was a Former Student. She was also the niece of Randy Weaver, who pastors the Montgomery County Cowboy Church. He had posted on FB asked for prayers and that things were not looking good for her. Tragic.

So sorry to hear this.

So sad. Prayers for family and friends.

So tragic. Sorry to hear this.

From FB

HERE

My niece, Noelle Levantino '20, passed away yesterday from injuries sustained in a boating accident. Please keep her family and friends in your prayers.

On the back or was she bow riding?

Boodlum said:

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On the back or was she bow riding?

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Does it matter?

I Am A Critic said:

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Boodlum said:

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On the back or was she bow riding?

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Does it matter?

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More curious than anything. Not casting blame.

Daughter of some good friends of my Aunt and Uncle. Terrible story.

I've been stopped before and given a chewing by the police for letting my brother ride on the bow of my boat even at a very low speed and I can see why they did so.

The prop on the little 60 I got could do some harm but the direct drive bronze props on water sports boats can really do vicious damage.

I Am A Critic said:

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Boodlum said:

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On the back or was she bow riding?

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Does it matter?

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If somebody is posting a thread title about water safety, it makes sense to want to know how it happened to be able to help others avoid it. I don't think anybody needs or wants gory details, but knowing the basic mechanics could be useful to some and it shouldn't be seen as disrespectful to ask.

This is well said. Being in the marine business for as long as I have has given rise to witnessing all kinds of boating and watercraft accidents. Most caused by negligence of a operator or due to poor training.
Knowing what happened would help educate others perhaps.

My cousin damn near lost his leg in POC about 7-8 years ago or so in a similar incident. It's crazy how quick a day on the water can become disastrous.

I Am A Critic said:

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Boodlum said:

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On the back or was she bow riding?

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Does it matter?

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Sure it does. If she was on the bow and not being safe she could have easily fell off and been run over by the prop which is an important safety lesson.

Not saying it didn't happen, but it's generally less likely to fall off the back and get hurt.

I knew someone else who died on Sunday in a very similar accident out-of-state.

Gunny456 said:

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This is well said. Being in the marine business for as long as I have has given rise to witnessing all kinds of boating and watercraft accidents. Most caused by negligence of a operator or due to poor training.
Knowing what happened would help educate others perhaps.

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I belong to a scuba diving forum that has an "accidents and incidents" forum for exactly that reason. It is kept separate from the "condolences" area so that there isn't the conflict between people wanting to mourn a loss and those wanting to learn what they can from what happened. The questions and discussions aren't about blaming anybody for what happened, but instead to work out what might have been the cause and how similar incidents can be avoided or better responded to in the future. I can definitely say that my wife and I were saved from what could have been a serious incident while diving directly by some things I had read in that forum that made me think through how I would respond to a similar incident. To me, the highest regard that one can pay to somebody who has passed away in an accident is to learn from it, so that it isn't repeated.

This as well as other comments made was my intent in my question.

Terrible. Always puts a pit in my stomach to hear about a story like this.

Lost a close friend nearly 10 years ago. Father of 2. Extremely intelligent with a successful career. Big-time outdoorsman. Got tossed from his boat while out fishing alone, no life jacket on and no kill switch.

Be careful out there. Can happen to anyone and only takes an instant. Some of the safety measures may seem overcautious to you... until the instant they aren't and save your life

Well I've learned something
I didn't know what bow riding was and what could happen

AGHouston11 said:

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Well I've learned something
I didn't know what bow riding was and what could happen

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Same. Been on boats since I can remember and this never crossed my mind. Just Googled pictures of what we're talking about, looks like a really dumb idea

Friend says it was off the back of the boat.

Isn't clear lake a sort of bayou/bay system? I see that it's connected to the bay. Are people running ski boats in salt these days? I saw where it was and assumed she fell off a bay boat.

yes, plenty of all types of boats out there.

Wow. Gorgeous girl.

Im generally not a squeamish person, but injuries/deaths from props is too much for me. Nightmare scenario

TH36 said:

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Isn't clear lake a sort of bayou/bay system? I see that it's connected to the bay. Are people running ski boats in salt these days? I saw where it was and assumed she fell off a bay boat.

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oh yea people have been skiing clear lake for decades.

AGHouston11 said:

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Well I've learned something
I didn't know what bow riding was and what could happen

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Do not do this

https://instagr.am/p/CIv1F0YjqLe

https://instagr.am/p/CPdo9i2h1bO

Due to some issues my daughter has, she has been reaching out to amputees in the Air Force community. Seven amputees are currently flying for the Air Force. One C-130 pilot lost her leg in a (boat) prop strike.

No matter how smart, how educated, how careful we are, accidents happen. So sad and so sorry to hear of this one, praying for comfort for the family.

Also praying the rest of us learn and correct our behaviors

Here.

that 2nd video from ducks looks like Haulover Inlet. exceptionally dumb place to do that.

Also a great way to badly break a leg. If that second boat had buried the nose just a bit deeper, that guy's lower legs would have been toast at that speed.

There is also a piece of equipment you can buy and it suction cups on each side of the stern, it is a plate that creates a deeper wave behind the boat so you can surf. You should never use these on anything but an inboard where the prop is underneath the boat. Folks are putting these on any boat they want and people are getting cut when falling forward. It just boggles my mind every time I hit the water I hear of another way to hurt someone. But they are really doing some crazy stuff. Prayers to this girls family, and the one driving the boat. Bet they are in a dark place. That has to be a nightmare to live with.

In the first video the risk seems compounded by the driver's natural reaction to turn the boat away from the swimmer, but that actually puts the motor closer to them.

As a boat driver you have to go over some of these scenarios in your mind ahead of time. Prime example: about 10 years ago I was driving my dad's bow rider Sea Ray and my younger sister was riding in the back seat holding her puppy while we idled out of a cove. All of a sudden the puppy jumps overboard followed by my sister. Your first reaction might be to throw the boat in reverse but you'd likely run her over so what I did instead was immediately put the boat in neutral and turned off the engine. Sure we drifted about 20 yards away from my sister but she was safe and swam the damn dog back to the boat.

Awful situation. Noelle was one of my coworkers and someone who's family I grew up knowing in Montgomery. Thoughts and prayers for her family.