New Jersey Woman Seriously Injured In Boating Accident

OCEAN CITY — A New Jersey woman was seriously injured on Saturday when she fell overboard from a rented pontoon boat in the Isle of Wight Bay west of Ocean City and was struck by the vessel’s propeller.

On Saturday night, Natalya Potsurko, 26, of Pennsauken, N.J., was standing on the bow of a rented pontoon boat when the vessel hit a wake and she tumbled overboard. Potsurko was struck by the boat’s propeller and suffered severe injuries to her face and leg before she was rescued by another passenger aboard the boat.

According to Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP), Potsurko was not wearing a life jacket and could not swim. She was taken first to PRMC in Salisbury and was later transferred to Penn Hospital in Philadelphia for specialized treatment, according to the NRP.

The vessel’s operator, Nicholas James Gilbert, 25, of Philadelphia, was charged with negligent operation of a vessel, which carried a minimum fine of $320.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.