GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – Two girls were injured Sunday evening when the boat they were riding in hit an overhanging tree limb on Black Creek, according to wildlife officials.
A spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said one of the girls was taken to UF Health Jacksonville with life-threatening injuries. The other was treated and released from Orange Park Medical Center.
The FWC said the operator, Alanna Kitzman, 36, of Orange Park, was headed toward Knights Boat Ramp on Black Creek about 5:30 p.m. Sunday when she became momentarily distracted and the boat veered toward the shore, hitting the limb about 3 miles from the marina.
The girls were sitting in the bow of the 21-foot blue and white Hurricane deck boat and were hit by the limb, causing their injuries, officials said. The limb was on the south side of Black Creek.
According to the FWC incident report, five people were on the boat at the time, but only the two girls were hurt.
Clay County deputies were also called to the scene and helped identify the spot where the boat hit the limb.
Boaters warned that the beauty of the waterway masks some serious risks.
“I think it can be a very dangerous place," said Fran Zabawa, who docks her sailboat at Black Creek Marina. "As boaters know, you need to always be paying attention. But, unfortunately, bad things can happen, which is what happened last night.”
Zabawa and other boaters said recent hurricanes left Black Creek with downed trees and debris, much of which remains seven months after Irma.
By boat on Monday, News4Jax got an up-close look at the creek, where low branches are common along the waterway. Zabawa said that concerns her for other boaters.
“As a boater, you just need to be very, very careful and be very aware of the people that are in your boat," she said. "It just takes a second for something pretty bad to happen.”
People at the marina said they watched as the two girls were brought back to shore on Sunday, and they're pulling for both to make a full recovery.