Video report: One seriously injured, one dead after boating incident in Mashpee

Krysta Lubold/CWN

MASHPEE – One person was seriously injured, another was reported missing after an apparent boating incident in Mashpee. The incident happened in Mashpee Wakeby Ponds shortly after 2 PM. CWN has learned one person reportedly jumped off a boat to swim and began to struggle. A second person jumped in to help and was reportedly struck by the boat propeller. That victim was brought to shore with a significant leg injury and a MedFlight helicopter was requested to Mashpee Police/Fire headquarters to fly the victim to a trauma center. The swimmer was reported to have gone under and did not resurface. The regional dive team was activated to respond to the scene to search for that victim. The body was recovered around 6:30 PM. State Police detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s office along with the Mass Environmental Police are investigating the incident.

On Wednesday, the District Attorney’s office issued the following statement: Cape & Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe announced that on June 23, 2020 at approximately 2:17 p.m., police received a 911 call regarding a boating accident at the Mashpee Wakeby Pond. Mashpee Police, Mashpee Fire and Mashpee Harbormaster personnel responded to the scene and located the boat with three passengers, one with significant injuries to his leg from the boat’s propeller. They informed first responders that another member of their group, Ricardo Ortiz, 57, of Boston, was still missing in the water. The injured passenger was treated and transported to Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. Search efforts continued for the missing swimmer. At approximately 6:04 p.m. Ortiz’s body was recovered from the water.
Preliminary investigation suggests no foul play, however the matter remains under investigation by Mashpee Police and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office.

ms062320 Mashpee Wakeby Pond boating incident Mashpee, MA 6/23/20 from Cape Wide News LLC on Vimeo.



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