WEST PALM BEACH — Rob Murphy loves talking about his spearfishing adventures. Since earning his scuba diving certification last year, he estimates he has made almost 400 dives.

But Murphy will never forget his last dive on Jan. 9 when while surfacing in waters northeast of the St. Lucie Inlet, Murphy was struck by a passing boat. The boat operated by Roger Nicosia, an emergency room physician at Martin Memorial Medical Center North, severed Murphy’s legs.

Murphy lost nearly half his blood. He was lucky to escape with his life, and doctors couldn’t save his legs. (more…)

STUART — A Palm Beach County man lost his legs after being run over by a boat while diving near a popular Martin County park Friday afternoon, according to state officials.

Robert Murphy, 26, was among divers who were spear-fishing in the St. Lucie River near Sandsprit Park around 2 p.m., said state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Gabriella Ferraro.

A 38-foot boat named the Master Plan and driven by Roger Nicosia of Stuart hit the diver.

Murphy was flown to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach. Ferraro said both of Murphy’s legs had to be amputated. She did not know if he was hit by the propeller or the body of the boat or how fast the boat was going. The area where the divers were swimming is near the “Crossroads,” a high-traffic waterway at the St. Lucie Inlet where the St. Lucie and Indian rivers meet the Atlantic Ocean.

Investigators have not determined the cause of the accident, but were interviewing witnesses and the boat’s occupants at Sandsprit Park on Friday. The Master Plan was towed to a nearby boat yard for examination.

Nicosia told investigators that the boat was having propeller problems, Ferraro said.

Jason Schultz