Pine Island boating accident survivor turns tragedy into triumph

PINE ISLAND, Fla. – In April, Nichole Hall lost her leg in a horrific boating accident. Today she said she wanted to use the hardest part of her life to help others.

At Pine Island, a day on the water turned into the moments that changed Hall’s life forever.

“I remember at one point asking one of the EMTs who rescued me if I was going to die later — I found out that most people thought that was the case,” Hall said.

View Bella Line’s full report below:

Pine Island boating accident survivor turns tragedy into triumph, with help from Lee Health

She was thrown from a boat near the Matlacha Pass and eventually lost one of her legs and part of her hip. Then she was flown to Gulf Coast Medical Center.

“When we first saw Nichole, it was, you know, one of those moments where you’re like, ‘Oh my God, she’s alive!’ said Dr. Joseph Lewis, the trauma general surgeon on her case. “People with the injuries Nichole had don’t make it to the hospital.”

Dr. Lewis and the rest of Nichole’s medical team would treat her for the next seven months. She underwent what he describes as morbid surgeries.

Dr. Lewis says Nichole is the only documented case of someone who underwent a hemipelvectomy as a result of a boating accident, meaning she lost part of her hip and leg.

“Once we did the initial stabilizing surgery and then removed part of her pelvis and the leg, that’s really all Nichole really needed to get through it and stay incredibly positive,” said Dr. Lewis.

Her courage and positive attitude led her to learn to walk with a prosthetic leg.

Ultimately, she was able to walk down the aisle at her best friend’s wedding, meet her newborn nephew and form a community of other amputees in the area.

“I try to find something good with my time, and I think this is an encouragement to other people who are going through this too,” Hall said.

Starting in January, Nichole will begin mentoring other trauma survivors through Lee Health. She will help people navigate the unknown of becoming an amputee.

“I’m just still Nichole and I think when you talk to an amputee or look at him or her, that’s the most important thing: that they are still who they are,” Hall said.