Teen kite surfing ran into power lines, then fell to the ground

DUNEDIN -- A 16-year-old Clearwater boy suffered life-threatening injuries Saturday in a water sport accident at the Dunedin Causeway, authorities said.

Christopher Bryan Kenny was kite surfing about noon when a gust of wind pulled him from the water and into power lines that ran along the north side of the causeway. He then fell 20 to 30 feet to the ground, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Kite surfing is a sport in which a person straps his or her feet onto a surfboard-like platform and uses a large kite to steer across water. The sport also is known as kite boarding.

Kenny was conscious after the fall, but appeared disoriented, witnesses said. Paramedics transported him to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, where he remained Saturday evening with life-threatening injuries.