Jet Skis collide on Lake Norman, hospitalize a rider and prompt a safety alert
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Two riders on rented Jet Skis collided on Lake Norman Sunday afternoon, hospitalizing one of the riders and prompting a sheriff’s safety alert.
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The hospitalized rider had a broken leg and a severe laceration, Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said in a news release.
“What started as a fun day on Lake Norman quickly turned into a life-threatening emergency,” the sheriff said.
Campbell didn’t name the injured rider, say where the crash happened or provide further details about the collision.
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Deputies got the victim onto the sheriff’s office patrol boat, controlled the bleeding and stabilized the injury, Campbell said. They took the victim to a dock, where EMS continued treatment before driving the person to a hospital, the sheriff said.
The collision should remind people that piloting a boat “carries the same responsibility as driving a vehicle,” Campbell said. “Impaired operation, excessive speed, or careless riding can have life-changing consequences in an instant.”
The sheriff also reminded boaters to wear life jackets and “stay alert, maintain a safe distance from other vessels, and never operate a boat or personal watercraft while impaired. One bad decision can change lives forever.”
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