23-year-old man from Harpswell dies in boating accident

According to the state Department of Marine Resources, a Harpswell man died when he fell out of a boat and was apparently hit by the boat's propeller.

Samuel Sharpe, 23, was piloting the 19-foot center console boat near South Harpswell when the incident occurred just before 8 p.m. Friday, the department said in a news release issued Saturday morning.

“Good Samaritans who witnessed the incident pulled him from the water and brought him to shore at Potts Point Landing in South Harpswell,” the press release said. “Members of the Harpswell (Neck) Fire Department attempted life-saving measures, however, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Other assisting agencies included the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, Harpswell Harbormaster's Office and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Sharpe's body was taken to a local funeral home and will be examined by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, the release said. Coast Guard personnel secured the boat and the Harpswell harbor master brought it to shore, it said.

The Maine Marine Patrol is investigating the fatal recreational boating accident to determine the circumstances that led to Sharpe's death, the press release said.