11-year-old suffers leg injury when struck by boat

By MARK SKINNER and DAVID PALMER
Floridan Staff

Published: June 2, 2008

By MARK SKINNER and DAVID PALMER
Floridan Staff

An 11-year-old Fountain boy suffered a severe injury to his right leg when he was struck by a boat Monday at Compass Lake in the Hills in Jackson County.

The boy, identified as Joshua Bass, was air-lifted to Bay Medical Center in Panama City, according to Lt. Stan Kirkland of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The accident occurred about 12:30 p.m. in water just off the beach area of Ski In Lodge at Compass Lake.

Bass was floating on an inner tube when the boat driven by Marty Ingram, 45, Marianna, struck him, Kirkland said.

Ingram was charged with failure to maintain a lookout, which is a second-degree misdemeanor under Florida’s navigation laws, Kirkland said.

“Mr. Ingram was pulling a knee-boarder with his boat at the time of the accident. He stopped immediately and rendered assistance,” Kirkland said. “Mr. Ingram said he saw others who were swimming, and was keeping an eye on them, but he didn’t see this young man.”

Bass was reported to be about 75 yards from the shore when he was struck. While others were in the water, they were not as far out as Bass, according to information the FWC gathered at the scene.

Bass was with his parents and siblings at Compass Lake when the accident occured. No report on his condition was available.

Kirkland said from information he could gather the injury to the 11-year-old’s leg was severe. Whether he was struck by the propeller or another portion of the boat had not been fully determined.

Some 25-30 people were swimming in the water at the time of the accident. Compass Lake is a popular swimming and boating area for residents around the area.

There is not a roped off area to separate swimmers from boaters in that portion of the lake. Deerpoint Lake in Bay County has added a marked area for swimmers.