Lesson was learned in boating accident

It was a beautiful, lazy day. The sun was shining. The sky was blue. My brother, David, asked if we wanted to go to the Salamonie Reservoir with them.
David, his wife, Apryl, and their friend, Kilea, came by a short time later. It was decided that we would follow them to the reservoir as there was no room in David’s truck for all of us.
After several unexpected turns and a few very narrow roads we arrived at our destination. We were told that David and Apryl’s son, Jadyn, and his 20-year-old cousin, Garrett, were on their way and would join us eventually. Remember those names, they will be important later.
An inflatable raft that took up most of the interior of the boat was plopped onto the boat along with various supplies, not including a first aid kit. David backed the boat into the water, parked the truck and we were off. There was no sign of the boys.
We learned that the boat had once belonged to Apryl’s father who had gotten tired of continually fixing it. Being the scavenger that he is, David had jumped at the chance to take it. He is a mechanic by trade and a tinkerer by choice so this was perfect for him.
We dumped the raft over the side and Apryl got in. David pulled her all around the lake until the boat had had enough and began to sputter a bit. He drove back to the dock so he could tinker with the motor. Apryl and Kilea climbed the boat ramp to add air to the raft.
About the time David was satisfied with the motor, Apryl and Kilea came back down the hill, followed by Jadyn and Garrett. We got reacquainted and once we were out on open water, Garrett got into the inflatable.
At first he held on tight. Then as he became more and more comfortable, he began bouncing higher and higher until he finally bounced himself out. He swam back and climbed back in for more fun.
Finally Jadyn joined him. The two young men were laughing and trying to see who could be more daring. David kept a close eye on them as he drove around. We were at the far end of the reservoir when the boys decided to try to tip the raft. It did not want to tip. Finally, David hit a sandbar which slowed things down enough for the raft to tip the boys into the water. David got the boat free and the boys waited on the sandbar until the boat was stopped.
David left the boat on idle because he was afraid it wouldn’t start again if he turned it all the way off. Jadyn swam out and got into the raft. Garrett followed. He grabbed onto the rope connecting the raft to the boat, but he thought the boat was drifting away from him. Apryl yelled, “Get away from the boat! You’re too close to the boat!”
It was too late. Garrett turned to see what she said and his leg brushed the prop. Several choice words later Apryl and David pulled him into the boat. He had a long gash in his calf. We wrapped it in towels and sat him in the front of the boat with his leg propped up.
We sped for the dock as fast as we could. The sirens went off as we sped through the no-wake zone and people yelled at us. David yelled back that we needed a medic, that Garrett had gotten his leg in the prop. We pulled up to the dock. Seconds later a boat with a nurse and a nurse practioner pulled up and took over with our blessings. Another boat with four more nurses parked alongside. Then came the DNR guy who seemed disappointed that Garrett’s leg wasn’t flopping off. He was followed by officers from at least two different police departments, the sheriff’s department, an EMT, an ambulance guy, and several scruffy guys with radios.
My husband and I drove Garrett and Apryl to the hospital where Garrett received 12 stitches and a pair of crutches. They said the wound just missed the muscle.
Garrett insists that he is fine. His main concern is that David should not blame himself. It was an accident. My main concern is that you learn from this. Always carry a first aid kit and always be aware of your surroundings.