Latest news with #Exuma
Fox News
07-07-2025
- Fox News
Former Army captain critically injured in Bahamas boating hit-and-run during family vacation: report
A former Army captain and father of two is fighting for his life after being struck by a boat propeller while snorkeling in the Bahamas during a family vacation. On June 30, Brent Slough of Prosper, Texas, was snorkeling in the crystal clear water near the shores of Exuma when "this boat came out of nowhere — and never stopped," his wife, Whitney Slough, told Dallas outlet WFAA. "They know they hit him. They saw him snorkeling," she said. "And they drove off." Brent, 42, was hit "right underneath the buttocks and the legs and just sliced him there," Whitney recalled to the outlet. She recalled hearing his cries from the water: "We hear Brent screaming, 'Help me, help me, help me.' We didn't realize that he was struck by the boat." Family, friends and good Samaritans jumped into action and hoisted Brent out of the water. "What happened last night is still almost impossible to process. Despite multiple 911 calls, no ambulance ever came," Whitney wrote in a Facebook post. "In that moment of chaos and fear, it was our neighbors and strangers on the beach who stepped in. You held us up …quite literally saved Brent's life and I will never forget it." He was taken to a local hospital before the family paid for him to be flown to a Miami hospital on July 1. There, Brent underwent a four-hour operation. Whitney shared the extent of the injuries with the outlet, saying that the devastating cuts were so deep that the doctors cannot stitch his wounds because they're so deep and have been packing them instead. "We're lucky that he's alive," Whitney told the outlet. "And there's no way that they should be able to get away with this." In an update Sunday, Whitney wrote on Facebook that Brent was moved to an intermediate ICU. "A step in the right direction. Praise God," she wrote. "Please keep the prayers coming!" Brent was an infantryman in the regular Army from May 2005 to April 2011, an Army spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital. He deployed to Iraq from May 2007 to July 2008 and was a captain when he left. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Ranger Tab, Expert Infantryman Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Parachutist Badge. Fox News Digital reached out to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Georgetown Station for comment.
News.com.au
07-07-2025
- News.com.au
Tourist almost split in two by boat while snorkelling off the coast of the Bahamas
A former Army Ranger was nearly sliced in half when he was struck by a propeller of a boat that ran him over in a disturbing hit-and-run as he snorkelled off the coast of the Bahamas during a family holiday. Brent Slough, from Texas, is in critical condition at an ICU in Miami, Florida, after suffering multiple fractures and deep gashes in the horrifying incident on June 30. Mr Slough was snorkelling approximately six metres off the shore of Exuma when a speedboat, captained by two men, barrelled through the waters and into the father of two before taking off, CBS Texas reported. The 42-year-old was with his wife, Whitney, and their two daughters, who witnessed the grisly hit-and-run. 'I felt like a thump thump, and I was like, 'did I just get hit by a boat?'' Mr Slough told the outlet. 'My left leg wasn't functioning, and I felt like something was wrong with my lower body.' Mr Slough was nearly split in two by the powerful blades that struck just below his buttocks. 'His bottom was almost completely detached from his legs,' a horrified Whitney said. The wounded father managed to pull himself above water and saw the boat that allegedly struck him speeding away from the frightening scene. 'So I surfaced and I looked to my right and I see two guys in a boat and one of them looks back and they just keep on going,' he said. Mr Slough's older daughter rushed to her dad's aid and pulled him to shore using a float, according to the outlet. He was rushed to a hospital on Exuma before being transferred roughly 30 minutes away to a medical centre in Nassau. The care at both facilities was considered 'insufficient,' and Mr Slough was airlifted on an ambulance jet to Miami, where he went into surgery before being hospitalised in the ICU, according to a GoFundMe set up for his wife. 'The doctor told me, 'Please get to a hospital in Miami, you need to get to the US for something this traumatic,'' Mr Slough said. Doctors are concerned that Slough's injuries are still life-threatening, fearing the lacerations can become infected. Whitney Slough left her daughters back in the Bahamas to travel with her husband to the US. 'It breaks my heart because we're not on vacation together, and we are not with our girls at the same time,' she told CBS Texas. 'I'm so grateful that he's alive.' Mr Slough graduated from West Point before becoming an Army Ranger in his six-year military service, where he served one tour in Iraq. The determined wife is returning to her children to assist authorities in finding the boaters she believes are aware of hitting her husband. 'Oh, they're going to be found,' she said. 'It's against the law to be within 200 feet of the shore. Brent was about 20 feet out … I just wish they would turn themselves in, but if they don't turn themselves in, then we have to find them.' Whitney credited God for saving her husband, despite his gruesome injuries. 'This was God getting us through this 100 per cent,' she added.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Former Army Ranger and Father of 2 in ICU After Boat Propeller Strikes Him While Snorkeling
Brent Slough, a 42-year-old father of two and former Army Ranger, is recovering in a Miami ICU after being struck by a boat propeller while snorkeling in the Bahamas on June 30 Brent's wife, Whitney Slough, told Dallas outlet WFAA that the 'boat came out of nowhere — and never stopped' Brent, who was hit by the propeller 'underneath the buttocks and the legs,' underwent surgery and remains in the ICUA former Army Ranger and father of two was seriously injured after being struck by a boat propeller while snorkeling in the Bahamas during a family vacation. On June 30, Brent Slough of Prosper, Texas, was spending time in the water near the shores of Exuma when 'this boat came out of nowhere — and never stopped," his wife, Whitney Slough, told Dallas outlet WFAA. 'They know they hit him, they saw him snorkeling,' she said. 'And they drove off." Brent, 42, recalled to CBS News Texas that when he surfaced after being struck, he looked to his right and saw "two guys in a boat and one of them looks back and they just keep on going." The boat's propeller hit Brent "right underneath the buttocks and the legs and just sliced him there,' Whitney recalled to WFAA. Whitney and Brent told CBS News Texas that the propeller nearly sliced off the lower half of Brent's body. "His bottom was almost completely detached from his legs," Whitney said, while Brent added, "My left leg wasn't functioning, and I felt like something was wrong with my lower body." With the help of several good Samaritans, Whitney pulled Brent from the water and quickly wrapped him in towels to stem the bleeding, per WFAA. He was taken to a local hospital before the family paid for him to be flown to a Miami hospital on July 1. There, Brent — who had sustained a fractured pelvis and leg and deep gashes — underwent a four-hour surgery. Whitney told WFAA that the surgical team couldn't stitch up his wounds because they are so deep and instead have been packing them while Brent heals. She said they feel incredibly "lucky that he's alive." 'He knows God kept him alive for a reason, and he has a purpose here, and it's bigger than us,' Whitney said of her husband, a West Point graduate who served in the military for six years and completed a tour of Iraq. Whitney told WFAA that Bahamian authorities are searching for the boat and crew responsible for the incident. "There's no way that they should be able to get away with this," she said. She told CBS News Texas that she won't stop until her family gets justice. "They're going to be found," she said. "It's against the law to be within 200 feet of the shore. Brent was about 20 feet out. I just wish they would turn themselves in, but if they don't turn themselves in, then we have to find them." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Amid Brent's recovery, a family friend has set up a GoFundMe to help the Sloughs cover his medical expenses. "His upcoming medical needs are great — but we know God will move to make this happen for the Slough family," the fundraiser's message reads. "Please give what you can to help chip away at these expenses, and, above all, pray for Brent, Whitney [and daughters] Layla and Emma as they navigate next steps and learn more about what his road to recovery will look like." As of Saturday, July 5, nearly $67,000 had been raised toward an $80,000 goal. Read the original article on People
The Independent
04-07-2025
- The Independent
Army Ranger in ICU after being hit by boat propeller while snorkeling in the Bahamas
A former Army Ranger was seriously injured after a boat propeller sliced into him while snorkeling in the Bahamas. Brent Slough was vacationing with his family on June 30 when the hit-and-run incident occurred in the Exuma district of the islands. The driver of the boat did not stop and has not been charged. Slough, a West Point graduate and former Ranger who served six years in the military as well as one tour in Iraq, was in the water before dinner when a boat skimming the shallows struck him. According to his wife, Whitney Slough, the propeller hit Slough underneath the buttocks and the legs, causing him to bleed profusely. Recalling the incident to WFAA, she said: 'We hear Brent screaming, 'Help me, help me, help me.' We didn't realize that he was struck by the boat.' Slough's family, with the help of other Good Samaritans on the beach, pulled him from the water and wrapped his legs in towels in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He was taken to a nearby hospital. He was later airlifted back to the U.S., and is currently in the ICU in Miami, having undergone surgery almost immediately – which lasted four hours. His wife told WFAA that doctors were unable to stitch the wounds because they're so deep and have packed them instead. A GoFundMe to help with his medical bills has so far raised over $50,000. Bahamian authorities are now searching for the boat and those responsible. 'They know they hit him, they saw him snorkeling,' Whitney Slough said. 'And they drove off. I just can't let that be….We're lucky that he's alive and there's no way that they should be able to get away with this.' She added: '[The Bahamas] is such a beautiful place. But I feel like I'm in a nightmare.'
CBS News
04-07-2025
- CBS News
North Texas family's dream Bahamas vacation turns into nightmare after husband and father nearly cut in half by boat propeller
A dream summer vacation in paradise this week has turned into a nightmare for a Prosper family. A 42-year-old husband and father is in intensive care in a Miami hospital after a crime in the Bahamas that almost cost him his life. After a flight from DFW that arrived in the Bahamas on Monday, the Slough family couldn't wait to pose for a photo on the beach before a 10-day vacation in Exuma. But minutes later, on the first day of the trip, something happened in the water that would change their lives forever. Slough family "Just like a 20-minute snorkel, you know, right there on the beach, right before we ate," said Whitney Slough. Whitney Slough said her husband, Brent, and their two daughters were snorkeling only about 20 feet from the beach when a small boat appeared along the shoreline. "I saw this boat speeding so close to shore, and I was like, 'what the hell?'" Whitney Slough said. "I felt like a thump thump, and I was like, 'did I just get hit by a boat?'" said Brent Slough. A 42-year-old former Army Ranger, Brent Slough almost had the lower half of his body sliced off by the propeller blade as it plowed over him. "His bottom was almost completely detached from his legs," said Whitney Slough. "My left leg wasn't functioning, and I felt like something was wrong with my lower body," Brent Slough said. The trauma amplified when the couple's teenage daughter had to rescue her father with a float. Meanwhile, the boat, captured on a security camera, kept going. "So I surfaced and I looked to my right and I see two guys in a boat and one of them looks back and they just keep on going," Brent Slough said. What followed was a harrowing trip in the back of a truck to an ambulance jet that would take Brent Slough to a hospital in the U.S. "The doctor told me, 'please get to a hospital in Miami, you need to get to the U.S. for something this traumatic," said Brent Slough. The injuries include multiple leg fractures and deep gashes that doctors say could still be life-threatening if they become infected. But the couple knows it could be worse. "This was God getting us through this 100%," Whitney Sough said. With their daughters still in the Bahamas, their mother is heading back and on a mission: She is determined to find the men on this boat. "Oh, they're going to be found," she said. Whitney Slough worries that authorities won't find the boat responsible without her persistence. "It's against the law to be within 200 feet of the shore," Whitney Slough said. "Brent was about 20 feet out ... I just wish they would turn themselves in, but if they don't turn themselves in, then we have to find them." A family vacation that should be carefree, but instead turned into horror for the Prosper family, which will eventually need help arranging an expensive private ambulance flight from Miami to Dallas. Friends of the family have started a GoFundMe for expenses. "It breaks my heart because we're not on vacation together, and we are not with our girls at the same time," said Whitney Slough. "I'm so grateful that he's alive." If there's one thing that the Sloughs said others can learn from their experience, it's how much they wish they had travel medical insurance for a trip out of the country. CBS News Texas contacted authorities in the Bahamas about the investigation, but have not been able to reach anyone familiar with the case.
