OCEAN CITY – A
local teenager was flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore last weekend with severe injuries
after his foot was caught in the propeller of a boat south of the Ocean City
Inlet.
Around 6:45 p.m. last
Saturday, a 28-foot motor vessel carrying the operator and three passengers
flipped over in rough seas and capsized, sending two of the three passengers on
board into the water. One of the passengers, an unidentified 17-year-old male
from Snow Hill was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to PRMC in Salisbury and later to Shock Trauma in Baltimore.
His injuries were not
life-threatening and his current condition is unknown, according to Maryland
Natural Resources Police (NRP) spokesman Sgt. Ken Turner. The other occupants
of the vessel, including the operator, identified as Milton H. Owings, Jr., 43,
of Glen Burnie, were not injured in the
incident.
Owings has been charged
with negligent operation of a vessel, according to Turner, which is a payable
offense and not a “must appear” citation. Turner said Owings has been cited for
negligence because he should have been aware of the circumstances leading to
the incident including the rough seas generated by Hurricane Bertha.