Two people have fallen into the river and one suffered serious leg injuries after attempting to restart the engine of a tinny on the Hawkesbury River.
The incident happened about 5.20pm on Tuesday, October 30 near Richmond Lowlands following an engine failure, according to Hawkesbury police.
“The man attempted to restart the outboard motor of his "tinny" via the pull start. The momentum of this activity caused the man to fall overboard at the same time the engine restarted,” police said in a statement.
“The sudden movement of the boat caused a passenger to also fall overboard.
“The pair called for assistance and a man on the other side of the river was able to respond with his canoe and caused a rescue.”
A 51-year-old Glossodia man suffered serious injuries to his leg and was taken to the river bank, where he was met by NSW Ambulance paramedics, police, and Hawkesbury State Emergency Services volunteers.
Police stated it was not known if the man’s injuries were caused by being thrown overboard or from the boat’s engine, however they were not considered life threatening.
The man was taken to Nepean Hospital for treatment.