Citronelle woman loses leg to propeller in boat accident

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A freak boat accident has changed a Citronelle woman’s life forever.

Click here to donate to the Goodman’s GoFundMe

On May 15, Nikki Goodman was on a boat with her husband heading out to Gravine Island in Baldwin County for a day of fun in the sun. They had just left the Chickasaw boat launch and were anticipating a pleasant day.

“I was laying out in the sun, he was fishing- you know, having a relaxing day,” she said.

Suddenly, their boat malfunctioned and the unthinkable happened.

“All of a sudden, the hydraulic cable breaks that goes to the steering, so when it broke, the boat just started spinning and it immediately threw us off,” said Goodman.

Goodman says the propeller sliced her legs. Her husband made it back on to the boat, but he couldn’t find her until she began yelling for help.

“I was just like ‘help me, my legs are going numb, I can’t feel my legs,’ but my leg was already gone,” she said.

She says her left leg was gone-cut off right above the knee- and her right leg was severely damaged. In shock, her husband pulled her back on to the boat and grabbed any items in sight to stop the bleeding. Miraculously, Goodman says she never lost consciousness.

“Bungee cords -- whatever we had on the boat -- he started tying them to my legs to stop the bleeding,” she added.

It just so happened there was another boat that was passing them and on it were two Good Samaritans.

“It was a man and woman. and I would love to find them and thank them because they helped save my life. They were already on the phone with 911. He immediately got on the boat with my husband and started helping him. I don’t want to shake his hand. I want to hug his neck and I just want to say thank you,” she stated.

Meanwhile, as people head out for Memorial Day celebrations, she has an urgent message for boaters.

“People just need to take that extra time and that extra dollar to make sure their equipment is up to par because they don’t want to experience what I’ve experienced,” she said. “Wear your life jackets- I did not have my life jacket on, we did not have them on. Wear your life jackets -- even if you’re just cruising.”

In the meantime, Goodman has a long road to recovery as she prepares for physical therapy and getting fitted for a prosthetic leg.

“Donate to the GoFundMe, and if you can’t, just pray for us,” she pleaded.

Finally, she says she hopes her story inspires others.

“If anyone thinks God isn’t real, they need to look at me. Even if nobody donates a dollar to help us- if I can impact somebody, touch somebody’s life, that’s great,” she said.