Investigators in San Bernardino County are asking for the public’s help identifying a boat operator allegedly involved in a crash on the Colorado River on June 20 that left an inner-tube rider with major injuries.
Ronald Wittine said about his wife, Nikkie Wittine, in an interview with local ABC affiliate KERO, “The propeller grabbed her legs.”
On Saturday, June 20, while Nikkie Wittine and her son were floating on inner tubes in the Colorado River, just north of the Needles Bridge,
the “major” boating collision happened around 7 p.m.
Ronald Wittine said, “She was trying to jump off of [her tube] … and her feet planted in the air underneath the boat and got sucked in by the propeller.”
The family was floating down the river on a summer vacation when the boat struck them at high speed.
A GoFundMe launched for the family says the boat that struck them was “traveling at high speed” when they both got hit.
Ronald Wittine says the Bakersfield couple’s 15-year-old watched the horror unfold and was also pulled underneath the boat. He managed to quickly come up, though, and got his mom to safety, according to his dad.
Ronald Wittine told KERO, “He’s a real hero.”
“For somebody that young to get sucked underneath a boat and get pulled in by the motor and shot out, and they come above water and go save his mom … it’s just mind-blowing to me. You know, they wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him.”
His quick thinking became crucial as the boater fled the scene without stopping to help.
An SBCSO press release says upon arrival, deputies learned the adult victim had been struck by a boat while floating down the river, and “The victim sustained major injuries as a result of the collision.”
Emergency personnel transported Nikkie Wittine by air ambulance to a hospital in Las Vegas for treatment.
“While we are grateful that her son is physically okay, Nikkie suffered critical injuries and had surgery,” the online fundraiser says.
For weeks, investigators pursued the case with little public information about the suspect or vessel.
No arrests have been made yet. Sheriff’s officials told KERO they are pursuing leads to find the person responsible.
Online, Nikkie has gained traction in Kern County in the club basketball space, being dubbed ‘BasketballMama661’ on Instagram, highlighting not just her children on the court, but others as well.
Emily Dinsing, the owner of Sports Lab Academy, the gym where their son plays basketball at, put together a fundraiser to help the family as they make their way through this difficult time.
The Bakersfield community rallied around the family in the wake of the tragedy.
In the viral moment that unfolded on June 20, a routine summer outing turned catastrophic when a speeding boat plowed into the family floating on inner tubes.
A California woman was allegedly mowed down by a speeding boater while tubing on the Colorado River, with her family saying she got “sucked in” and shredded by the propeller in front of her son, who also got “pulled in by the motor and shot out.”
The boater did not stop to assist.
In a July 28 update on the ongoing investigation, detectives said they reviewed video submitted by community members that was taken on the day of the crash and believe they have identified the boat responsible for the victim’s injuries.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have information about the identity and location of the operator and the boat to contact Corporal B. Abell at 760-326-9200.