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Man's arm nearly severed by boat propeller

Staff photo by JULIE BUSCH

Stephen Schneider, who was operating the boat at the time of the accident, talks with Coast Guard officials.

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TBO.com

Published: September 19, 2009

Updated: 09/19/2009 05:09 pm

A man's arm was nearly severed this afternoon when he was thrown from a boat traveling through Johns Pass near Madeira Beach.

Thomas Demaree, 65, of Clearwater was thrown when the steering cables apparently broke, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

According to deputies, around 1:30 p.m. a boat was heading eastbound off Johns Pass on the north side of Eleanor Island when the steering cables broke, causing it to make an abrupt right turn, ejecting Demaree, the police report said. The boat then proceeded to make a 360-degree turn, running over Demaree, the report said.

Clayton Tieman, who works for TowboatUS, was responding to a customer's call when he saw the accident. Tieman said he was 30 to 50 yards behind the 17-foot center-console boat when it hit a wake and went out of control.

"It happened in an instant," he said.

The propeller nearly severed Demaree's left arm, Tieman said.

The other two passengers, including boat operator Stephen Schneider, 55, of Seminole, were not injured, according to deputies. Alcohol was not a factor in the accident, the report said.

Tieman called the Coast Guard, then helped load the injured man into his own boat and carried him to land.

Demaree was airlifted to Bayfront Medical Center for treatment, sheriff's office spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda said.

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