Newly released body cam footage shows deputies attempt to save a snorkeler struck by a boat Wednesday in South Florida.
This was one of a string of incidents in the water Wednesday after the kick-off of the local spiny lobster mini-sport season in the Florida Keys, according to Local 10 News.
Bodycam footage from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), obtained by Local10, shows 20-year-old Sean Steven Bender being treated by responding deputies after being struck by a boat.
Bender was “diving for lobster near the Boca Chica Bridge in the Lower Keys” when a boat propeller struck him, the MCSO said on Facebook. (RELATED: Video Shows Boat Barreling Towards Beachgoers, Crashing Into Shore)
The footage shows deputies racing to save the victim. One deputy can be heard repeatedly telling him, “Stay with me.”
“Real bad, real bad,” another man can be heard saying.
The footage then shows a bloody Bender lying on the back of the boat as officials attempt to apply a tourniquet.
The video later shows rescue officials lifting the man off the boat and bringing him to a stretcher.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Miami shortly after 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, the MCSO said. He remained in serious condition as of Thursday afternoon, according to Local10.
Officials attempted to comfort Bender and his family as he went in and out of consciousness, the outlet reported.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will conduct the investigation into the incident, the MCSO said.
The FWC has alleged that the boater involved was 36-year-old Mark Johnson, Local10 reported. It remains unclear if Johnson will face any charges or citations in connection to the incident, the outlet noted.
