Niko L. Rodriguez was injured by his own Jet Ski and had to be pulled from the river by a passing boater.
HADLEY — A 21-year-old Springfield man who was injured Sunday in a Jet Ski accident on the Connecticut River near Mitch’s Marina was charged with negligent operation of a boat, according to a spokeswoman with the Massachusetts Environmental Police.
Niko L. Rodriguez had to be pulled from the river by another boater and brought to shore following the 2 p.m. accident, said spokeswoman Amy Mahler.
Rodriguez was taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. His injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Mahler said Rodriguez was operating recklessly before losing control and injuring himself on his own Jet Ski.
Marina employee Phil Brocklesby, quoted in The Daily Hampshire Gazette*, said the people who rescued Rodriguez told him that they saw him become airborne as he jumped waves. He apparently came down and struck his head on the watercraft and was knocked unconscious, Brocklesby said.
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