West Va. Woman Injured After Pontoon Boat Fall

OCEAN CITY — A West Virginia woman was injured on Saturday after falling from a rented pontoon boat in Assawoman Bay and being struck multiple times by the propeller.

According to Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP), Alexa Delatorre, 22, of Morgantown, W. Va., fell from a rented pontoon boat on Saturday and was struck by the vessel’s propeller. Witnesses said Delatorre lost her footing while dancing on the deck, fell over the railing and between the boat’s pontoons. Fellow passengers briefly lost sight of her and then saw her yelling in the water.

One of the six women on the boat, who ranged in age from 21-25, jumped in the water and pulled Delatorre to safety. The victim was brought to the dock just south of 49th Street where emergency medical personnel began treatment. The victim was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center where she was treated for deep cuts to her back, legs and right foot. The boat’s operator passed field sobriety tests administered by NRP officers and no charges have been filed.