11-year-old girl dies after being thrown from pontoon boat, hit by propeller

PALM COUNTY BEACH, Fla. (WPTV) - A day on a Florida lake turned into tragedy when an 11-year-old girl was thrown from a pontoon boat and struck by the boat propeller. She died from her injuries.

The waters of Lake Osborne carry a somber weight after an 11-year-old girl died Saturday night. She was on a pontoon boat carrying two adults and three children when the bow on the vessel suddenly dropped, sending her overboard, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife.

Officials say the 11-year-old was struck by a propeller and died from her injuries.

Luke Price and his friends were at the lake on the day of the incident and recall seeing search crews.

"I just figured at first that they were just doing a little boating exercise, practicing on responding to emergencies, but now to hear that that's what happened, that's very tragic," he said.

Price says he and his friends have heard of a handful of boating accidents on the lake, but hearing about this tragedy has shifted his perspective.

"We've been out in the water since we were born. Obviously, we can get to the point where we're too comfortable, and that's not what you want out here... Always take precautions," he said. "Make sure there's enough room on the boat... Make sure people are sitting down. Make sure people aren't ripping past."

Fish and Wildlife is investigating the accident.