Injury From Backflip Into Shallow Arm Of Keystone Lake Serves As Warning

A Green Country man is badly injured in an unusual accident on Keystone Lake.

It happened July 4f at an area known as House Creek.

The man was doing a trick that many probably have while in the water.

He was doing a backflip, but park rangers said the man may have broken his neck while doing the move. It now serves as a lesson to others.

You don't have to look far to find laughter on Keystone Lake.

And at House Creek, you'll find children and families taking in all that summer has to offer.

But the Fourth of July fun ended when a 36-year-old man tried do a backflip in the water, ending horribly wrong.

"They dragged him to shore then they put him in the car and was gonna drive him to the hospital," Damien Dotson said. "My stepdad, Ben, he went to the water, looked at the car and said ‘that's not a good idea,' then called the ambulance."

Dotson said the man was nearly 20 feet from shore, in water about waist deep when he attempted the move.

While it may look like a nice, sandy beach, it's what's underneath the water that's unknown, which is why rangers said you should not treat the lake like a pool.

The terrain along House Creek varies from flat, sandy beaches to rocky bluffs, which means big rocks could be easily be hiding underneath the murky water.

"You have to be really careful and I wouldn't suggest ever trying any of that stuff, whether it be a backflip or anything like that, because that can be really dangerous when you don't know your surroundings," park ranger Lindsey Cooper said.

Cooper said the man likely hit his neck on rock in the water, but the impact against the sandy bottom could have been enough to cause serious damage.

Dotson said the man was pulled from the water in excruciating pain.

"He said that his arms were on fire, all up and down his arms and across and down his back," he said.

Cooper said the man couldn't walk after the accident. His condition is unknown at this time.

He reportedly admitted to park rangers he'd been drinking.