5-Year-Old Critically Injured by Boat Propeller During Family Outing to Lake

A 5-year-old Indiana boy is facing a long and uncertain recovery after he was struck by a boat propeller during what was supposed to be a family day at the lake.

Jentry Pace suffered life-threatening injuries at Patoka Lake in Newburgh on Sunday, July 5, after he was slashed by the propeller of a boat. According to local outlet 14 News, his father, Captain John Pace of the Ohio Township Fire Department, had to pull him from beneath the vessel.

A conservation officer also rushed in to help, but Jentry’s injuries were so severe that those at the scene immediately realized they were in a desperate fight to save his life.

“As I was beaching the boat, I heard John yelling, ‘I need your tourniquet, I need your tourniquet,’ ” Officer Joe Haywood told 14 News.

Haywood said Jentry was pale and barely reacted as the tourniquet was tightened around his injured leg, an alarming sign given how painful the procedure normally is.

“Jentry was pale in color. And if you’ve ever put a tourniquet on properly, it hurts,” Haywood recalled. “He applied the tourniquet on Jentry, but he really didn’t make a sound. So I knew we’re in a pretty bad situation.”

Jentry was taken to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, where he has since undergone extensive treatment and multiple surgeries.

Ohio Township Battalion Chief Chris Watson said the little boy still has a “long road to recovery,” while his family believes he may not have survived without his father’s quick thinking and emergency training.

“There’s a saying that our greatest testimonies sometimes come from our greatest trials,” Haywood told the outlet. “John and Jentry, his whole family’s going through one of the greatest trials they’ll ever go through in their life.”

He added that simply seeing Jentry alive after the horrific accident feels extraordinary.

“I hope that on the other side of this, there’s a testimony to the goodness of God and one of his great miracles,” Haywood said. “Because I’m telling you, if you saw what I saw that day, it is a miracle Jentry’s alive.”

A fundraiser created to help the Pace family has already collected more than $45,000 as they remain by Jentry’s side and prepare for what could be months of medical care and rehabilitation.

“Jentry pulled past his initial injuries, but it is still uncertain whether his leg can be saved,” the fundraiser states. “He continues to face additional surgeries, followed by what is expected to be a long and challenging recovery.”

The page also explains that John and his wife, Jana Pace, are trying to support Jentry while continuing to care for their two daughters.

“Captain Pace and his wife, Jana, are standing by Jentry’s side every step of the way while also caring for their two daughters during this difficult time,” the statement reads. “The entire Pace family is facing an overwhelming emotional and physical journey together, so let’s pull together some love and financial support while they face this fight.”

Jana has been sharing regular updates about her son’s condition on Facebook. In a post on Saturday, July 18, she said Jentry was struggling with medication side effects but appeared to be making steady progress.

“They’ve got four days to whip him into shape because, as Jentry keeps telling us, he’s ready to be home and on his own couch,” she wrote of his doctors.