Man nurses injured dolphin that broke wife’s ankles

This June 21, 2015, photo provided by Dirk Frickman shows a dolphin that leaped onto his boat and crashed into his wife, Chrissie Frickman, breaking both her ankles near Dana Point, California. Dirk, pulled her out and called authorities as he headed toward an Orange County harbor. While he steered, he splashed water on the about 350-pound dolphin to keep it alive as it thrashed around and bled from some cuts. AP

SANTA ANA, California — A dolphin leaped onto a boat in Southern California, crashing into a woman and breaking both her ankles.

Chrissie Frickman was boating with her husband and two children June 21 when a pod of dolphins swam alongside them. One of the animals jumped on the vessel, knocking Frickman over and landing on her legs, the Orange County Register reported.

Her husband, Dirk, pulled her out and called authorities as he headed toward an Orange County harbor. While he steered, he splashed water on the 350-pound (150-kilogram) dolphin to keep it alive as it thrashed around and bled from some cuts.

“I could hear my phone buzzing and beeping on the floor – it was covered in blood,” he said.

Dirk Frickman got help pulling the dolphin onto a dock with a rope and then releasing it.

“The dolphin was hopefully saved,” Frickman said. “It swam away with no problem.”

His wife is still recovering from her injuries.

Harbor Patrol Sgt. DJ Haldeman confirmed the incident. He said sea lions have been known to jump aboard boats before, but that this is the first he’s heard of a dolphin doing the same.

“I don’t know what was in the water, but something must have scared it out,” Haldeman said.