Orange County sheriff’s investigators Monday were looking into the circumstances that led to the death of a 69-year-old swimmer sucked into the propeller of a yacht in Newport Beach last weekend.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was severely cut by the 60- foot yacht’s propeller on Sunday.
“The guy went for a swim at the back of the boat and whoever was in the boat in the driver’s seat thought he would back it up to help get on board and the propeller sucked him up and chewed him up,” Orange County sheriff’s Lt. Lane Lagaret said.
It appears to have been a terrible accident, but investigators were continuing to review the evidence to see if any criminal charges may be warranted, Lagaret said.
Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol deputies were called at 2:52 p.m. as the passengers aboard the double-decker boat tried to save their captain, according to sheriff’s officials.
Others on the boat pulled the victim ashore and got him on the dock near the Coast Guard as they tried to perform CPR on him, but paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, Lagaret said.
–Staff and wire reports