Sailor has face sliced off by propeller after stormy seas threw him off boat
Danny Round, 32, from New Zealand, miraculously dodged death during the accident at sea, two months into a dream trip with friends
Danny Round, 32, was exploring the South Pacific when he fell off his boat and into its propellor in stormy waters (
Image: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)
Laura SharmanFreelance writer
Hannah Phillips
A sailor has been left with horrific life changing injuries after falling off a boat in stormy seas and into its propellor.
Danny Round, 32, is lucky to be alive following the freak accident which happened during a trip of a lifetime.
An experienced sailor, Danny had left pals to explore Fiji and ventured towards one of the most remote islands in the South Pacific.
He was returning to his 1984 sailboat in a powered dingy when it lifted off the water, crashed down and catapulted him overboard and into the propeller.
The chef, from Auckland in New Zealand, had three skull fractures, a broken jaw, three displaced teeth and cuts to his face, feet, hands, waist and chest which needed more than 150 stitches.
Danny Round, 32, suffered three skull fractures, a broken jaw, and cuts all over his body in the horror incident (
Mercury Press & Media Ltd)
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Part of his forehead was partly caved-in and he will now be scarred for life.
Danny said: "I underestimated the wind gusts and the bow started to lift off of the water.
"My reactions were too sudden and the bow came down harder than it should have.
The New Zealand chef says his ordeal has not put him off sailing (
"I was flung off the boat and the kill cord came loose from my wrist.
"The boat went over me and the propellers went all the way up my body and hit me in the face.
"I was covered in blood and just trying to get back to the boat but it was too dangerous because it was spinning out of control.
"I was in a lot of pain but adrenaline kept me going. I don't know how I didn't pass out and drown."
Danny was on a dream trip with friends when he fell from his boat and into the propellor (
Luckily, another sailor spotted Danny's boat spinning out of control and went to investigate.
Danny's injuries were so severe he was airlifted to hospital by helicopter and the navy were called out to assist.
He added: "Everyone thought I was going to die.
"I didn't realise how bad it was until I saw other people's reactions.
Danny says he owes his life to strangers who paid for his medical bills after the accident (
"When they pulled me into the boat, it immediately filled with blood so they wrapped a towel around my head.
"I will be scarred for life. I need to have my jaw broken again so some teeth can be moved around.
"My right nostril is constantly blocked so that's uncomfortable."
Danny only spent a couple of days in hospital then went to a friend's for a week to recover and quickly got back into sailing.
Over the course of two operations, he had metal plates inserted and a skin graft from his ear in an attempt to fix his nose.
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But despite his ordeal, the sailor said it has not put him off taking to the seas.
He said: "It hasn't put me off sailing, I love it.
"For anyone going through a similar experience to me, keeping a very strong mindset helped my body to heal and staying positive."
Danny says he owes his life to strangers who paid for his medical bills after the accident.
He has since set up a GoFundMe to help pay them back and has so far raised almost £20,000.
New ZealandSailingAccidentsHorrific injuriesHospitals
Horrific injuries
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