Editor Warning: This story contains some vivid photos of injuries suffered by the occupants of the bass boat which could be offensive to some readers.
By Rex Chambers
There are few things that happen in a person’s lifetime that can be labeled “life altering.” Maybe it’s the birth of a child, the loss of a loved one or even a brush with death which can sometimes cause a person a take a step back and re-evaluate things in their life. Well, that dreaded “brush with death” landed in my lap on Wheeler Lake on Saturday, May 3, 2014.
As many of you know, I was involved in a boating accident that injured me and my partner, Danny Pettus of Madison, AL. We were competing in the Homeland Security tournament put on annually on Wheeler out of Ingalls Harbor in Decatur, AL. An early morning launch found the water just about as slick as glass and we decided to run to the lower (west) end of the lake toward Spring Creek. We made a few unsuccessful stops and decided to make our way back toward Decatur to beat the predicted winds that were coming in around lunchtime.
The log snapped the motor mounts like they were made of plastic.
Making our way from the old Lucy’s Branch Marina area, we were headed to Mallard Creek. A light wind had gotten up just enough to put a small ripple on the water and we were cruising toward the main channel running in the 50s when it happened. A log! A low floating, mostly submerged log is where we both almost met our demise. The log sat behind a small wake and there was no veering to miss it in the amount of time that we both actually saw it. The center of my motor punched it. What happened next only took less than one or two seconds.
The awful sound of the log impacting the motor was nothing compared to what was coming. A split second after impact all I felt was a huge jolt between my shoulder blades and the loud screaming of the rpm’s of a boat motor landing on me, crushing me between it, the steering wheel and my console.
The big motor had broken from its motor mounts and flew into the boat over the stern. The outboard was still running, prop still turning and 600 plus pounds of metal and blades impacting everything and everyone in its path like a mini metal tornado. The main motor section hit me in the back while the lower unit section landed on my partner. The skeg of the motor broke as it impacted his head leaving a huge gash. The momentum of
Chambers’ forearm and chest bent the steering wheel as the motor hit him between the shoulder blades. Humminbird sonar unit was originally pushed thru through the dash.
the prop then caused the lower unit to go down and the prop tore thru his pants cutting his leg. While injuries were being inflicted on my partner, the entire motor is moving toward and over me. The prop then impacted the center glove box of the boat one time, my left leg taking the brunt of the speed of impact. The prop, still turning about 5,000 rpms, hit my leg tearing into flesh. The outboard followed a path of destruction up and over my head with a slight impact on my left shoulder and only nicking my rib cage but with tremendous force. The entire motor went over my right shoulder into the water.
All this happened in a blink of an eye. It’s hard to explain the noise, the impact and pretty much the total terror that went on during those precious few seconds. My first words after looking at my partner were “We’re hurt bad buddy.” I glanced down at my shorts, noticed some huge tears and blood and simply got a death grip to stop the bleeding. I didn’t know how deep the cuts were, but could see my leg didn’t look right. I handed Danny a towel that had flown in my lap and told him to keep pressure on his head. About three or four seconds later we were both on the phone calling for help. We both went into mild shock, fortunately years of training in law enforcement for both of us, surfaced to keep us as calm as possible.
Waiting for help seemed like an hour had passed before help arrived; even though it was only minutes. We were both taken by the Alabama Marine Police to the nearest ramp and transported by ambulance to Decatur General Hospital.
Rex Chambers suffered multiple slashes inflicted by the outboard’s prop.
Danny Pettus took a blow to the head from the motor’s skeg.
Pettus also had cuts from the spinning prop.
Amazingly, neither of us suffered asingle broken bone. Staples and stitches took care of our injuries including a hematoma, a gash in the head, multiple cuts on legs and severe bruising. We were lucky! It wasn’t our day to die.
I’ve always read how fatalities usually happen when this exact same things takes place. Boats hitting submerged logs happens more times than it should, but most don’t live to tell the story. Thankfully, we are both still around to tell the tale. Many haven’t been that lucky when this exact same thing happened.
To all my family and friends, THANK YOU! The overwhelming support I’ve received the last couple of weeks has been humbling and has made me more thankful than ever for all the gifts that life has given. Boats can be fixed. Motors can be replaced and fishing can wait a while until wounds mend. Being around to tell the story is what I’m most thankful for.
Courtesy Photos
