A couple of weeks ago, on June 21, the Frickman family were enjoying sweet oceanic air off the coast of California. It was Father’s Day, as well as Dirk and Crissie Frickman’s wedding anniversary. Little did the Frickman’s know that their celebration would be marred with injury and dolphin squeals.
The Frickman’s were observing a pod of dolphins when suddenly, one of them leaped from the ocean like Ecco, hit the rail of their 21-foot Boston Whaler, and landed in the Frickman’s boat. Crissie was injured, her ankles breaking when the 330-pound cetacean landed on her. Her 16-year-old daughter, Courtney, was also injured when the dolphin punched her in the face during the confusion.
The dolphin was also injured during the incident, sustaining several cuts and scrapes as it struggled in the boat. From BBC News:
“The dolphin was bleeding from several cuts on its tail and nose, which it received as a result of the unexpected jump.”
Dirk Frickman raced back to shore, slowing down every minute or so to pour water on the dolphin as a means to keep it alive.
The dolphin that turned the Frickman’s day from bliss to chaos is apparently perfectly fine, despite being injured in the process. Crissie Frickman, however, was not so lucky. One of her injured ankles was broken clean and will hopefully not require orthopedic surgery to assist in the healing process. The other injured ankle has torn ligaments surrounding the break.