A former U.S. Army Infantry Captain recovering at a Miami hospital is sharing how he narrowly survived a hit-and-run boating accident while snorkeling in the Bahamas.
Brent Slough, 42, spoke exclusively to CBS News Miami from his hospital bed at Ryder Trauma Center, describing the terrifying moment he was struck by a speeding boat off the coast of Exuma on June 30.
“I remember hearing the thump, thump of my body hitting it and I knew pretty immediately that it was a boat,” Slough said.
Struck while snorkeling on vacation
Brent had just arrived for a 10-day vacation with his family and was snorkeling about 20 feet offshore behind their rental home when he was hit. Surveillance footage from a nearby property captured the boat fleeing the scene.
“The person to the right looked back behind and made eye contact with me and kept going,” he said.
His family and friends, including his 17-year-old daughter, witnessed the incident and ran to help. Strangers also jumped into action.
“I’m thankful to be alive, I’m so thankful. It could have been a lot worse,” said Brent, who credits his survival to his military training and calm mindset.
Rushed to safety in a beach chair
His wife, Whitney Slough, recalled the chaos that followed as they scrambled to save his life.
“If we wouldn’t have been out there to hear him crying for help, what would’ve happened? They would’ve left him to die out there. And to not turn around and to not get him—to have no regard for another human’s life—is insane to me,” she said.
With no ambulance nearby, they strapped Brent onto a beach chair in the back of a pickup truck and drove him to a clinic. The family then secured a private medical airlift to bring him to Miami.
“We could just see everything open and everything hanging out. It was just completely sliced all the way around,” Whitney said of his injuries.
Expected to recover, warning from trauma surgeon
Doctors at Ryder Trauma rushed Brent into emergency surgery and are now monitoring his wounds for infection from saltwater and sand. His surgeon, Dr. Dan Pust, said such cases are not uncommon.
“We see them several times a year, locally from Florida or transfers from the Caribbean,” Pust said. He also urged boaters to act responsibly.
“To boat captains, if there ever is an injury or they hit somebody, it’s important that they come back and get them out of the water and support with first aid and control bleeding,” he said.
Brent said he believes his survival is part of something greater.
“God saved my life. God has a plan for me,” he said.
Two arrested, family urges travel precautions
The Sloughs said two local men have been arrested and the boat was recovered.
CBS News Miami has reached out to the Royal Bahamas Police Force but has not yet received a response.
The family is now advocating for better awareness about medical preparedness when traveling abroad.
“If you are traveling out of the country, you should really look at travel medical insurance,” Whitney said. “Just awareness of where you’re traveling, where the best care is—just to know that—is really powerful.”
The Sloughs are paying out of pocket for the private medical transfer and have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover expenses.
