Briefs: Man injured riding his new personal watercraft

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 2, 2000

SEMINOLE -- A Safety Harbor man was injured on his newly purchased personal watercraft Saturday evening after taking off from Bay Pines boat ramp and hitting a channel marker, authorities said.

Chris Palmieri, 23, of 42 Harbor Lake Circle, was admitted to Bayfront Medical Center with internal injuries and possibly a broken pelvis, sheriff's deputies said. Palmieri bought a 1999 Kawasaki personal watercraft on Saturday and had owned it for only a few hours before the accident.

"He wanted to go take it for a spin just before he went to work," said Pinellas sheriff's Sgt. Greg Tita.

Palmieri went to the boat ramp with friends. He accelerated away from the dock, heading south at high speed, and crashed into a channel marker about a hundred yards away, Tita said.

Friends rescued Palmieri and took him to Bayfront. Deputies were investigating the crash.

Neighbor's visitor revives 5-year-old

ST. PETERSBURG -- A 5-year-old boy found in his grandparents' swimming pool, pale and without a pulse, was revived by a man visiting a neighbor, officials said Saturday.

The boy's mother warned the child to stay away from the pool as they went inside the home to change clothes, said St. Petersburg Fire Lt. Chris Bengivengo. But the boy, Patrick Haugh, fell into the water and screamed for help, said Bengivengo.

"He was not breathing when I pulled him out," said the boy's mother, Tammy Randall of Decatur, Ga., who was in town visiting her parents.

Kevin Cronin heard the screams and ran to the house at 8462 15th Way N.

Cronin of Valdosta, Ga., revived the child with CPR, said Bengivengo.

Patrick was taken to All Children's Hospital, where he was listed in fair condition Saturday, a nursing supervisor said.

"He seems okay," his mother said. "I'm just glad (Cronin) was here and he knows CPR."

Drownings are the leading cause of death of children ages 1 to 4 in Florida.

Starting Oct. 1, new residential swimming pools in Florida must be sold with safety devices to guard against child drownings.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.