Day one at Grand Lake took an unexpected turn for professional angler Mark Daniels Jr. En route to his second fishing spot of the morning, his boat struck a submerged underwater tree at speed, completely snapping the lower unit off his outboard motor.
"I’ve always heard stories of this happening to guys, but never me. Well, my day came."
Mark Daniels Jr. (June 23, 2026)
When an outboard motor strikes an obstruction and tears off, it can violently flip upward into the cockpit—posing a life-threatening danger to anyone on board. Daniels credits a simple piece of safety gear for keeping the situation from becoming far worse: an outboard safety leash.
Designed to tether the motor to the boat's jackplate or transom, an engine leash prevents a sheared lower unit or motor from launching into the driver's seat during high-speed underwater collisions.
"The reason for this post is to encourage anyone who doesn’t run a 'leash' to please get one. Did it save my life? I’ll never know, but I’m sure glad I had one."
Check out Mark’s full video breakdown of the wreck and the aftermath below: