A 42-year-old Texas dad is speaking out from his hospital bed as he recovers from a summer vacation incident that nearly killed him.
Brent Slough, a former Army Ranger, his wife Whitney Slough and their two children were on a dream 10-day vacation in the Bahamas when he they decided to go snorkeling, unaware that a speedboat was barreling toward them.
"I'm about 20 feet from the shore, and suddenly, I feel something hit me, and it's like, I feel a thump, thump," Brent Slough recalled to ABC News. "I immediately knew I was getting hit by a boat."
"You wouldn't expect a boat to be that close to shore either, you know, so I was completely caught off guard," the father of two added.
The speedboat's propeller nearly took off Brent Slough's legs.
The Sloughs' two children were also in the water at the time, and their teenage daughter grabbed a float to rescue her dad.
Woman says dolphin injury at popular Jamaica attraction felt like a 'car accident'In video shared with ABC News by Whitney Slough, the speedboat can be seen speeding away from the scene.
"I didn't know for sure what all was going on, but like, it cut right underneath his bottom and his legs where, it was just all open," Whitney Slough said. "Everything was open underneath that."
Brent Slough was taken to a local clinic and was eventually airlifted to a hospital intensive care unit in Miami where he underwent emergency surgery.
Slough's doctors are concerned his injuries may still be life-threatening as his lacerations could still become infected.
72-year-old who had 4 strokes on cruise ship speaks out after rescueDespite his harrowing ordeal, Brent Slough and his family say they're focusing on his recovery.
"I'm just so thankful to be alive," he said.
Whitney Slough added, "Brent healing and getting out of [the intensive care unit] is our No. 1 priority. Then, I would say, is really for justice to be served for the people who did this."
The Royal Bahamas Police Force says two men have been arrested in relation to the incident involving Brent Slough.
