'Sucked in by the propeller': Mom tubing with son gets mowed down by boater, pulled in by the motor while her boy watches in horror and driver flees

A California pistillate was allegedly mowed down by a speeding boater portion tubing connected the Colorado River, with her household saying she got "sucked in" and shredded by the propeller successful beforehand of her son, who besides got "pulled successful by the centrifugal and changeable out."

"The propeller grabbed her legs," said Ronald Wittine astir his wife, Nikkie Wittine, successful an interrogation with section ABC affiliate KERO.

"She was trying to leap disconnected of [her tube] … and her feet planted successful the aerial underneath the vessel and got sucked successful by the propeller," Ronald Wittine said.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office says the "major" boating collision happened astir 7 p.m. connected Saturday, June 20, portion Nikkie Wittine and her lad were floating connected interior tubes successful the Colorado River, conscionable northbound of the Needles Bridge.

"Upon arrival, deputies learned the big unfortunate [Nikkie Wittine] had been struck by a vessel portion floating down the river," an SBCSO press release says. "The unfortunate sustained large injuries arsenic a effect of the collision."

Ronald Wittine says the Bakersfield couple's 15-year-old watched the fearfulness unfold and was besides pulled underneath the boat. He managed to rapidly travel up, though, and got his ma to safety, according to his dad.

"He's a existent hero," Ronald Wittine told KERO. "For idiosyncratic that young to get sucked underneath a vessel and get pulled successful by the centrifugal and changeable out, and they travel supra h2o and spell prevention his ma … it's conscionable mind-blowing to me. You know, they wouldn't beryllium present contiguous if it wasn't for him."

A GoFundMe launched for the household says the vessel that struck them was "traveling astatine precocious speed" erstwhile they some got hit. "While we are grateful that her lad is physically okay, Nikkie suffered captious injuries and had surgery," the online fundraiser says.

The sheriff's bureau says exigency unit transported Nikkie Wittine by aerial ambulance to a infirmary successful Las Vegas for treatment. The circumstances surrounding the collision are "currently nether investigation" and nary arrests person been made yet.

Sheriff's officials told KERO they are pursuing leads to find the idiosyncratic responsible.