A dream vacation in the Bahamas turned into a traumatic near-death experience for a former U.S. Army Ranger and West Point graduate when he was struck by a speeding boat’s propeller while snorkeling just feet from shore. Now, as he recovers from massive injuries in a Miami ICU, his family is pleading for answers—and justice.
Brent Slough, 42, of Prosper, Texas, was snorkeling with family near the shore of Exuma on June 30 when an unidentified boat “came out of nowhere,” his wife Whitney told local reporters. The boat never slowed down, never stopped, and disappeared after severely injuring Slough.
“They know they hit him, they saw him snorkeling. And they just drove off,” Whitney said. “I can’t let that be.”
Slough, who served six years in the Army—including a combat deployment to Iraq—was left with devastating injuries to his lower body. According to his wife, the boat’s propeller “hit him right underneath the buttocks and the legs and just sliced him there.”
Witnesses, including Whitney and beachgoers, rushed to pull Slough from the water. With no ambulance arriving despite repeated 911 calls, they were forced to wrap him in towels and transport him to a local clinic in the back of a truck.
“We hear Brent screaming, ‘Help me, help me, help me.’ We didn’t realize that he was struck by the boat,” Whitney recalled.
The following day, the family paid out of pocket for a medical evacuation flight to Miami. Upon arrival at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, Slough underwent a four-hour emergency surgery. Doctors found a fractured pelvis and leg, along with deep gashes so severe they could not be stitched—his wounds are instead being packed as he heals.
“His bottom was almost completely detached from his legs,” Whitney told reporters.
Despite the trauma, she says Brent remains strong in spirit. “He knows God kept him alive for a reason and he has a purpose here and it’s bigger than us.”
It’s not yet clear if Slough served in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment or was Ranger-qualified through completion of the grueling Ranger School. What is known is that his actions, service, and resilience speak to the ethos of a warrior fighting through unimaginable adversity.
As of Monday afternoon, a GoFundMe campaign supporting the family had raised over $83,000—surpassing its $80,000 goal. The money will go toward covering the mounting medical costs and supporting the family through Brent’s long road to recovery.
Meanwhile, Bahamian authorities are searching for the boat and crew responsible for the hit-and-run. According to Whitney, the boat violated laws that prohibit vessels from operating within 200 feet of the shoreline—her husband was reportedly just 20 feet out when he was struck.
“There’s no way that they should be able to get away with this,” she said. “They’re going to be found. I just wish they would turn themselves in, but if they don’t… then we have to find them.”
Locals have also voiced outrage over the incident and the emergency response failures that followed. A Facebook page for local Exuma issues wrote:
“This is 2025. In a major tourism destination. I’m ashamed of the level of emergency care we still have to endure in Exuma. We deserve better. Our visitors deserve better. Lives are literally on the line.”
Whitney Slough echoed the sentiment in a July 1 Facebook post, where she expressed deep gratitude to the strangers and friends who helped save Brent’s life in those critical moments.
“Despite multiple 911 calls, no ambulance ever came… You held us up, quite literally saved Brent’s life and I will never forget it,” she wrote. “God is so good! And we feel all the prayers coming our way.”
In an encouraging update, Whitney shared that Brent was recently moved to the intermediate ICU, a step forward in what will be a long and challenging recovery.
Want to help?
Support the Slough family and contribute to Brent’s medical recovery by donating to the GoFundMe page.
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