A man was rushed to the hospital after the jet ski he was riding on exploded. It happened on Lake Norman near Trump National Golf Club. A man who wouldn't go on camera or identify himself jumped in to rescue him. "So I was sitting in my room and I could feel an explosion," he said. "I sprinted out here hopped the fence and just jumped right in the water to help him out."
According to 911 calls, The man was 57 years old. The investigation is ongoing but one officer says the heat could be to blame. "With the heat that we have during the daytime, it causes all these gases in the gas tanks to expand. That could cause hoses to pop off, gas would then leak into the hull which could cause an explosion," he said.
We don't know the man's current condition but these explosions may happen a lot more often than you think. According to U.S. Coast Guard statistics, 2017 saw 19 casualties due to fires or explosions on personal watercraft.
The key to making sure this doesn't happen to you is maintenance. Make sure you're getting your jet ski regular inspections. And never start a jet ski that smells like gas. That's a sign that there is a gas leak somewhere.