A Brunswick man has died after falling out of a boat and apparently being struck by its propeller, according to the state Department of Marine Resources.
Samuel Sharpe, 23, was operating the 19-foot center console boat near South Harpswell when the incident occurred just before 8 p.m. Friday, the department said in a news release issued Saturday morning.
“Good Samaritans who witnessed the incident pulled him from the water and transported him to shore at Potts Point Landing in South Harpswell,” the release said. “Members of Harpswell (Neck) Fire and Rescue attempted lifesaving measures, however he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Other assisting agencies included the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the Harpswell Harbor Master’s Office, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Sharpe’s body has been transported to a local funeral home and will be examined by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, according to the release. Coast Guard personnel secured the boat, and the Harpswell harbor master brought it to shore, it said.
The Maine Marine Patrol is investigating the recreational boating fatality to determine the circumstances leading to Sharpe’s death, according to the release.
Sharpe had worked various jobs on and off the water after graduating from Brunswick High School in 2019 and attending Maine Maritime Academy for a year, the Portland Press Herald reported. Those jobs included working as a sternman for lobsterman Scott Merryman in Harpswell, it said.
CORRECTION: Because of incorrect information from state officials, an earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Sharpe as a Harpswell resident. He lived in Brunswick.
