Sad Story. Be careful out there.

[MJHKnox]

I'm sure more of the story will be released:


http://newschannel9.com/news/local/person-hit-by-boat-in-tn-river


http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/36074023/update-boat-hits-and-kills-man-on-chickamauga-lake

[rdlangston13]

He climb out the front of the boat or something? I don't understand how this happens on an inboard


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[michael hunter]

It probably was an outboard or IO. Ignorant people call all small power boats Skiboats? That is where the Southern Supra reunion was held a few weeks ago. I didn't find the area to be overly crowded sounds like a freak accident.

[padge]

Says it was a Moomba


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[MJHKnox]

Says it was a Moomba


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The story last night said Moomba and that is what was reported on the TV reports.
I did not see that online today when they released the names.

[MJHKnox]

It sounds like an I/O or Outboard accident unless he threw the boat in reverse and sucked him under.


CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — UPDATE:

The TWRA has identified Lee MacLellan as the man who drove the boat which killed 48-year-old Neal Gibson III Sunday.

PREVIOUSLY:

TWRA says a man in his forties died after being hit by a boat in the Tennessee River Sunday. They identify him as Neal Gibson III.

Doug Markham with TWRA says the 48-year-old man was wakeboarding with three others on the Tennessee River.

The TWRA's Matt Majors says Gibson was getting ready to wakeboard from a boat that held a total of four people. They waited for a group of other boaters to pass.

At some point, Majors says Gibson got into the water without anyone else noticing, and when the driver powered up the motor to reposition himself, Gibson was caught in the propeller.

Majors says they do not plan to charge the driver at this point, and says investigators don't believe alcohol was involved, but the driver did get a blood test, as is standard procedure.

[Mischief IV]

At some point, Majors says Gibson got into the water without anyone else noticing, and when the driver powered up the motor to reposition himself, Gibson was caught in the propeller.

Reposition probably means put boat in reverse and without him knowing his passenger was in the water, the worse day of this guy's life happened.

[michael hunter]

Very hard to do with any inboard . Driver should always be aware of people before powering up .

[docdrs]

The only way I would be repositioning the boat is with my eye on the skier. I suppose if the driver was inexperienced and thru it into reverse.....nope .....makes no sense to me....must have been inexperienced driver.

[Mischief IV]

"There was an apparent miscommunication or some inattentiveness from the operator or Mr. Gibson that led to the boat to end up striking him," said Joe McSpadden, a TWRA officer who responded to the accident.

The TWRA says the boat operator, Lee Maclellan, moved the boat. Gibson, who was in the water, went under the boat and was hit by the propeller.

The propeller cut his leg, with those injuries leading to his death.

"When boat accidents happen - there tends to be quite a bit of trauma," said McSpadden. "And prop strikes - they're not pretty. They're not made to contact people either. They're not made of cushiony foam."

[Mischief IV]

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/36074023/update-lookout-mtn-man-killed-in-boating-accident-identified