ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 25-year-old man died when he was struck by a boat and got caught in its propellers on the Fourth of July, according to the Orange County Fire Rescue.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office said Nickaloy Dunstan Thomas was swimming in Lake Butler near Bird Island around 4:45 p.m. when a boat that was trying to get out of the rain hit him.
Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles said five people who were on the 23-foot boat attempted to help Thomas.
“When Orange County Fire Rescue crews and the Sheriff's Office got to the victim, he was still in the water. The people in the boat that struck the man were still next to him, holding onto him, trying to render whatever aid they could,” Jachles said.
Thomas died at the scene, officials said.
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