Woman's arm severed in Boston boating accident, boater arrested

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A woman on a boat fell overboard into the water, then had her arm severed by a boat propeller in Boston Harbor near Spectacle Island on Saturday.

The incident happened Saturday night at around 7:45 p.m. When the Coast Guard arrived, multiple people were in the water to help a 19-year-old woman, who had fallen into the water. Her arm had been maimed by the boat's propeller, severed just below the shoulder. She was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital where her injuries were life-threatening, police said.

Coast Guard rescuers described the scene as hectic when they arrived.

"It was extremely chaotic," said Petty Officer Thomas Ciarametaro. "Not only were there people in the water, and a young lady that had been injured, [but] we had nightfall on us."

A total of thirteen people were on the boat, the "Naut Guilty," at the time of the incident.

"We removed the makeshift bandages that her friends had put on, and had to place a tourniquet on her upper arm area," said Coast Guard Officer Joseph Prest.

The boat's operator, 33-year-old Benjamin Urbelis, was arrested Saturday night on a charge of operating a boat under the influence, Boston police confirmed. He will be arraigned Monday in Boston Municipal Court.

Urbelis is a defense attorney, who lists OUI/DUI and motor vehicle crimes as one of his practice areas on his website.

Last month, a Boston bar that Urbelis said he co-owns was cited after state agents found 13 minors in possession of alcohol. The same establishment, Julep Bar, was charged with nine counts of minors in possession of alcohol.

The investigation, conducted by state and local police and the Coast Guard, remains ongoing.

Cox Media Group