Raleigh Man Killed In Surf City Watercraft Collision

On the evening of July 22, a man from Raleigh died of the personal injuries he suffered in a personal watercraft accident near Surf City.

At about 6:30 p.m., 52-year-old Thomas Petrie was riding on the Intracoastal Waterway when he was involved in a collision with a relative, who was operating another watercraft. Police have not released the name and relation to Petrie of the other operator.

According to Officer Doug Jones of the state Wildlife Resources Commission’s Division of Law Enforcement, Petrie suffered a compound fracture to his left leg in the collision, which caused a severe loss of blood.

Petrie received transport to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, where he later died, according to Wildlife Commission spokesman Geoff Cantrell.

According to Cantrell, neither of the crafts involved in the collision were traveling “at a tremendous rate of speed” at the time of the accident. Jones estimated the speeds at the time of the collision to be between 10 and 20 mph. Both watercrafts were owned by the second operator and the one Petrie was on suffered major damage.