NORRIS LAKE, Tenn. (WATE) — A man was airlifted to the hospital after being hit by a boat propeller in Norris Lake Saturday afternoon, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officials said.

Around 2:22 p.m. on Saturday, a man was kneeboarding behind a boat when he fell into the water near Hickory Star Marina in Union County, TWRA said. As the boat's operator tried to grab him, the propeller hit the man, severely lacerating his leg and foot. He was airlifted to the hospital for treatment.

“Propeller strikes are almost always preventable,” TWRA Boating Investigator Captain Roy Smith said. “A few extra seconds of caution can prevent life-changing injuries.”

This was the ninth propeller-strike injury in Tennessee this year, TWRA said. These strikes can cause lacerations, broken bones, amputati

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