Witness: Boater sped near snorkelers before hitting man, severing his arm

Witnesses told investigators that a boater traveled close to visible dive flags in just before a Thanksgiving Day crash that severed the arm of a snorkeler.

The witness said she was snorkeling near a dive flag about 100 yards (91 meters) off shore when she saw the boat traveling at a high rate of speed. A Palm Beach police report says she yelled out to others in the water to warn them.

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The Palm Beach Post reports the boat struck 25-year-old Carter Viss severing his right arm. He remains in the hospital.

The boat’s 30-year-old driver Daniel Stanton told investigators he saw the flag and slowed down before hitting Viss.

Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Carol Lynn Parrish says the crash remains under investigation. Stanton hasn’t been charged.