Citation

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA. MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 1998; 47(17): 354-356.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, (in public domain), Publisher U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9627279

Abstract

Approximately 78 million persons engage in recreational boating annually in the United States. Several types of injury can occur during boating recreation, including drowning, falls, burns, and propeller-related injuries. Injuries from the propeller are typically multiple, deep, parallel lacerations that can result in permanent scarring, substantial blood loss, traumatic or surgical amputation, or death. Persons sustaining injuries from boat propellers can require long periods of hospitalization, recovery, and rehabilitation. In Texas, the extent of boat-propeller-related injuries is unknown; however, the existence of approximately 600,000 motorboats in the state exposes many Texans to the potential risk for propeller-related injury. To characterize the occurrence of boat-propeller-related injuries in Texas, the Texas Department of Health (TDH) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) investigated boat-propeller-related injuries that occurred in four lakes in Texas during May 24 -September 1, 1997, the time of year when boating activities are most common. This report summarizes the results of the investigation.