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Video shows fishermen thrown from boat in high-speed accident
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Tournament anglers often use powerful boats to help them cover as much territory as possible. And as this video shows, sometimes that lightning-fast pace can go terribly wrong. - photo by Grant Olsen
LAKE SEMINOLE, Georgia Tournament anglers often use powerful boats to help them cover as much territory as possible. As this video shows, that lightning-fast pace can sometimes go terribly wrong.

The boating accident occurred in January during an FLW College Fishing Tournament in Georgia, but the video has recently received a lot of positive attention online because it shows the importance of life jackets and other safety gear.

According to a report from The Times-Picayune, the anglers in the video are Hunter Bland and Conner Young. The men are members of the University of Florida Bass Fishing Team and were heading to their first stop of the day when a faulty locknut on the boats steering system caused it to suddenly jolt to one side.

The boat was traveling nearly 60 miles per hour at the time, so the anglers were thrown into the water. The men were wearing life jackets and had used a kill switch, which stopped the boat and helped minimize the danger.

After calling out to each other, the stunned fishermen swam back to their boat. All the while, competitors boats can be seen ripping past them. Finally, a charitable boat stopped to offer assistance.

The University of Florida Bass Fishing Team later posted on its Facebook page that both anglers were unharmed in the accident. The message also reiterated how important it is that the FLW requires all tournament competitors to use safety gear.

Praise God, both young men were not injured, reads the videos description on YouTube. Thanks again to FLW for their boating safety checks. Wear your life jackets and kill switches!