Man hospitalized with 'life-threatening' partial amputation after MB ocean rescue

A joint Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue and Myrtle Beach police operation rescued a man from the ocean near Third Avenue South, according to police Capt. Joey Crosby.

Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue Lt. Jonathan Evans said one person suffered a leg injury and was transported to Grand Strand hospital, but he didn't know the condition of the patient.

Horry County Fire Rescue spokesperson Mark Nugent said an Horry County medic unit transported the man from Third Avenue South with a partial amputation, although he couldn't verify the body part which was affected.

"A partial amputation, that's a life-threatening injury," Nugent said.

Kelly Sinha of Raleigh, North Carolina, was on the beach when the man was injured.

She said a group of people had rented jet skis, and one of them may have hit the victim.

Sinha said the victim was a male in his late 20s or early 30s, had leg injuries and was unconscious when he was brought to shore.

"The injuries I saw on his legs, on his foot, there's blood coming from his leg," she said. "I don't know if he lost it, I don't know. I saw a lot of blood, to be honest with you."

Sinha said the group of people on jet skis quickly left after the incident happened.

"I’m thinking somebody that was on a jet ski hit this boat, the yellow boat, and returned it because they got scared and they didn’t say anything and they just left," Sinha said. "I saw them leave right away. They returned their boat and they got gone. I’m heartbroken to see that somebody would initially know that they hurt somebody and didn’t even report it, just leave them out there like that."

This story was originally published June 19, 2018 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Man hospitalized with 'life-threatening' partial amputation after MB ocean rescue."