NORFOLK, Va. — After getting tangled in a boat propeller on July 2, an Outer Banks woman says her injuries show the importance of practicing safe boating.
Susan Archbell has undergone three surgeries and is scheduled for another, after a wave threw her from the bow of a friend’s boat and forced her underwater.
“I bounced off, [the driver] immediately put it in neutral, but it was still enough for me to get sucked in, twice,” she said.
Archbell says she was sitting on the bow as they left the dock to drag an inner tube. She said after slowly driving out for about ten minutes, they picked up speed, hit a wave, and she was thrown into the water.
After the fact, Archbell remembered, “I immediately tried to get in the boat, thinking I was fine, smiling because I didn't feel the pain, and then I saw my leg completely filleted open.”
The boaters drove back to shore where an ambulance had arrived. Medics then airlifted her to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where she is recovering, awaiting her fourth surgery.
“This is definitely one those you don't think it can happen until it happens-type stories,” Archbell explained.
The accident left Archbell with gashes on the front and back of both legs and her backside. Her third surgery addressed dead tissue in her right leg. She says her injuries should serve as a very cautionary tale about safety on boats.
“I could have gone in two seconds. I was informed that my wounds should have bled out.”
Even though she’ll be hospitalized and in recovery for the foreseeable future, Archbell says the incident has given her a new perspective she’s grateful for. She said, “It took this to really appreciate it, but I really do. It’s a second chance to focus on the little things.”
Archbell did not break any bones, and despite her injuries, she has been able to walk, with support. An online fund has been set up by one of her friends to help cover medical bills.