NEED TO KNOW
Brent Slough, a 42-year-old father of two and former Army Ranger, is recovering in a Miami ICU after being struck by a boat propeller while snorkeling in the Bahamas on June 30
Brent’s wife, Whitney Slough, told Dallas outlet WFAA that the “boat came out of nowhere — and never stopped”
Brent, who was hit by the propeller “underneath the buttocks and the legs,” underwent surgery and remains in the ICU
A former Army Ranger and father of two was seriously injured after being struck by a boat propeller while snorkeling in the Bahamas during a family vacation.
On June 30, Brent Slough of Prosper, Texas, was spending time in the water near the shores of Exuma when “this boat came out of nowhere — and never stopped,” his wife, Whitney Slough, told Dallas outlet WFAA.
“They know they hit him, they saw him snorkeling,” she said. “And they drove off.”
Brent, 42, recalled to CBS News Texas that when he surfaced after being struck, he looked to his right and saw “two guys in a boat and one of them looks back and they just keep on going.”
The boat’s propeller hit Brent “right underneath the buttocks and the legs and just sliced him there,” Whitney recalled to WFAA.
Whitney and Brent told CBS News Texas that the propeller nearly sliced off the lower half of Brent’s body.
“His bottom was almost completely detached from his legs,” Whitney said, while Brent added, “My left leg wasn’t functioning, and I felt like something was wrong with my lower body.”
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The Bahamas (stock image)
With the help of several good Samaritans, Whitney pulled Brent from the water and quickly wrapped him in towels to stem the bleeding, per WFAA. He was taken to a local hospital before the family paid for him to be flown to a Miami hospital on July 1.
There, Brent — who had sustained a fractured pelvis and leg and deep gashes — underwent a four-hour surgery. Whitney told WFAA that the surgical team couldn’t stitch up his wounds because they are so deep and instead have been packing them while Brent heals. She said they feel incredibly “lucky that he’s alive.”
“He knows God kept him alive for a reason, and he has a purpose here, and it’s bigger than us,” Whitney said of her husband, a West Point graduate who served in the military for six years and completed a tour of Iraq.
Whitney told WFAA that Bahamian authorities are searching for the boat and crew responsible for the incident. “There’s no way that they should be able to get away with this,” she said.
She told CBS News Texas that she won’t stop until her family gets justice.
“They’re going to be found,” she said. “It’s against the law to be within 200 feet of the shore. Brent was about 20 feet out. I just wish they would turn themselves in, but if they don’t turn themselves in, then we have to find them.”
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Amid Brent’s recovery, a family friend has set up a GoFundMe to help the Sloughs cover his medical expenses.
“His upcoming medical needs are great — but we know God will move to make this happen for the Slough family,” the fundraiser’s message reads. “Please give what you can to help chip away at these expenses, and, above all, pray for Brent, Whitney [and daughters] Layla and Emma as they navigate next steps and learn more about what his road to recovery will look like.”
As of Saturday, July 5, nearly $67,000 had been raised toward an $80,000 goal.
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Whitney Slough, Brent Slough, Army Ranger, WFAA, boat propeller, snorkeling in the Bahamas
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