A favorite pastime of boating on Geist Lake is tubing, where a motorboat pulls someone behind on a an inflated tube.  An accident Saturday afternoon illustrates how important safety precautions can be while boating.

Alec Harris, 18, from Fishers, suffered serious injuries to both feet. He was transported to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he underwent surgery to repair deep lacerations,
broken bones and torn tendons and ligaments.

State conservation officers determined that Harris’ injuries had been caused by a propeller strike. Harris had been tubing when the accident occurred.  He had been thrown off the tube in a turn and the boat which was towing him came back around and ran over him. Neither of the 15-year-old girls on-board the boat who were observing saw Harris fall off the tube and the operator was unaware until it was too late.  A 17-year-old was operating the boat.

So, the bottom line is this:  We are in the middle of the boating season.  Be careful.