By Jeff Lipton and Brian T. Dessart
The victim, identified as Paul Taros of Elmont, was operating a friend's 1995 Sea-Doo at 4:30 p.m. when he lost control of the craft, officials said.
According to officials at the Nassau County Police Department's Marine/Aviation Bureau, the victim was thrown into the air and then onto the Sea-Doo while "wake-jumping," or using large waves produced by a powerboat to become airborne. Wake-jumping is a misdemeanor under the state's navigation law, police said.
According to Sgt. Gary Carpenter of the Marine Bureau, Taros was wake-jumping behind a 42-foot boat when he lost control while in the air and landed on the handlebars of the Sea-Doo. He then fell off the craft and into the water, police explained. His injuries included a possible fractured spine, a fractured pelvis and deep cuts to his buttocks, Carpenter said. "Judging by his injuries, he was up [in the air] pretty good," said Carpenter.
The boat operator apparently did not know Taros and probably did not know Taros was using his boat to wake-jump, officials said. "[The boat operator] saw him lying in the water and a pool of blood around him, and so he turned his boat around to rescue him," said Carpenter. "He probably saved his life."
The boater transported Taros to the marine base in Bay Park, and from there he was airlifted by police helicopter to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where he was listed in serious but stable condition, authorities said.
"I took one look [at the victim] and I knew it was a trauma," said the East Rockaway Fire Department's 2nd assistant chief, Elvie Hickam, who was the second member from the ERFD on the scene, following 1st Assistant Chief Hugh Howard. "He was bleeding pretty bad." Hickam made attempts to control the bleeding and immediately summoned the county police helicopter, which was flying nearby.
According to Hickam, the ERFD performed advanced life support, providing a backboard for stabilization and an intravenous line. "The [operation] went pretty good," Hickam said. "Everything went well - everybody got there fast."
"As far as I know, there was serious bleeding," said East Rockaway Chief of Department Daniel Gilloon, who was at a fire in Lakeview at the time of the accident. Gilloon credited Hickam with providing immediate care. "The helicopter arrived one minute later," he said.
South Hempstead resident Cecilia Merkle was at the Hewlett Point Yacht Club in Bay Park at the time of the accident and witnessed it. "I saw a big, white boat going toward Bay Park - it was going very fast," Merkle said, describing the accident as occurring just south of the club. "Then I saw a guy on a jet ski going toward Hewlett. He went over a wake, went up into the air and fell off. He went down and didn't move." Merkle also said she saw two boats on their way to help the victim. "Two boats lassoed the man with a circular life preserver," she said. "It looked like they dragged him up on the swim platform [of one of the] boats."
The accident occurred in Hewlett Bay, which connects to Macy Channel and is near Bay Park in East Rockaway, not far from Hewlett Bay Park, Hewlett Harbor and the Seawane Country Club.
"Wake-jumping is illegal and it's very dangerous, and we want to get that word out," said Carpenter. "The boat he was jumping behind produces very big waves. When a jet ski is going 40 to 50 miles per hour, it's like climbing a very big hill. The wave was too big for whatever speed [Taro] was going, and he became airborne."
Carpenter said that about five people were in the boat at the time of the accident.
The Sea-Doo was impounded for investigation, which is continuing, police said, adding that as of Monday morning, no charges had been filed or summonses issued. Carpenter also said that alcohol apparently was not a contributing factor in the crash. "I have not seen that on any of our reports," he said. "It's just apparently one of these things when the guy did something a little bit dangerous."
Merkle said watercraft speed is an ongoing problem in Hewlett Bay. "They were just going way too fast," she said. "The big boats cause so much havoc. They go so fast ... We see this all the time. This is a tragedy that could have been avoided."
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
