Thousands of people will be spending Independence Day out on the water and the nonprofit Split Second Foundation is using the holiday to remind everyone to be safe.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Before you head out to get a spot by the water or even on a boat this Fourth of July, the founder of nonprofit The Split Second Foundation is sharing his story all to prevent others from making the same choices that led to a boating accident.
It’s an accident that happened eight years ago, which left CEO Mark Raymond Jr. paralyzed and changed his life forever.
“It was a freak accident, something I wasn’t paying attention to,” Mark Raymond Jr, CEO of Split Second Foundation said.
For Mark Raymond Jr, the Fourth of July in 2016 started the same as it does every year. But one split second decision on his friend’s boat has now resulted in Raymond spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
One moment he was hanging out with his friends on a boat, the next he was in the hospital with a spinal cord injury.
“Not paying attention to the tide, what was three feet of water had gone down to like a foot and a half. And I hit my forehead on the sandy bottom, shattering the fifth vertebrae in my neck,” he added.
Leaving Raymond paralyzed from the chest down. Going back to the dock gives him flashbacks.
“When I’m like, around water, I’m just mindful of how close I am like, I don’t roll on docks, I’m not, I’m not getting too close to the edge,” Raymond said.
While the Fourth of July holiday reminds him of the accident, he’s taking the time to educate everyone of the dangers of boating before they get into the water.
“Don’t dive into any body of water headfirst is always my recommendation. But also be mindful of how much alcohol you consume, how liberal you are in the settings and because again, life can change in a split second,” he explained.
And an accident like this can happen in any body of water.
The U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Statistics show how Florida had the highest number of boating accidents and deaths in 2023.
And with drowning being the largest cause of death. safety is something everyone should prioritize not only on boats but any body of water.
“It’s as simple to is like having signs around the pools on the beach, and really being aware of the danger that you could potentially be in from even being rowdy in a pool environment, right, like pushing somebody in the pool, could turn into a really tragic situation,” said Raymond.
The purpose of the Split Second Foundation is to provide comprehensive care resources, education and advocacy to families impacted by disability.
“A lot of times these families just don’t have a place to turn especially in times of trauma, right, so not only surrounding the person that is directly impacted with the physical trauma, but also the family members and making sure that they have a good understanding of the direction they need to go in to get that person back to a high quality of life.” Raymond explained. “When I was discharged from inpatient therapy, I just found that there weren’t really any real substantive community resources for people impacted by disability or by trauma.”
Which is why he’s working in communities across the country about preventatives to avoid accidents like his happening to someone else.
“Like most young men, I thought I was invincible. I was living invincibly and reality hit and when it did, it just opened my eyes to life, I think itself and how fragile life is and how much you know, we need each other as human beings,” he said.
Adding for this Independence Day, everyone should be extra mindful to ensure they stay safe on any sized boat.
