An eight year old girl who fell off her perch at the bow of a power boat in the Sakonnet River late Sunday afternoon, and sustained injuries to her face and head after apparently being struck by the boat's propellor, was reported Tuesday to be in stable condition at Hasbro Children's Hospital.

The girl, whose full name and specific condition were not released by hospital officials, suffered cuts across her forehead above her eyebrows and down one side of her face, according to witnesses with second-hand knowledge from Standish Boat Yard in Tiverton, where the girl's father took her after the incident.

Gail Mastrati, a spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Management which has jurisdiction for investigating the accident, identified the father as Orien LaPlante of New Hampton, N.Y. The family was here visiting friends in Portsmouth.

Authorities and witnesses were able to provide a few details. They said the father had taken the girl and another young girl tubing on the Sakonnet River. They said the incident occurred while one girl was in the tube being towed, and the other, the victim, was riding in the bow. The father was at the helm. The incident occurred at about 5:23 p.m.

Witnesses said the craft was a small center console boat — reports range from 15 to 18 feet. They said the boat hit a wave and the eight-year-old girl in the bow was tossed off. She was wearing a life preserver and evidently was dragged alongside and under the propellor when she was injured.

Ms. Mastrati said the boat was west of Gould Island in the river when the incident took place. It was Ms. Mastrati who reported that the girl was in "stable condition."

The hospital, according to its spokesperson Andrea Barbosa, does not use the term "stable" to refer to a patient whose condition is either critical or serious, only to those who are in either good or fair condition.

Witnesses said that when the father arrived with the injured girl at Standish Boat Yard, the girl was initially attended by a Connecticut EMT who owns a boat with dock space there, and just happened to be present with his equipment.

Shortly thereafter two paramedics from the Tiverton Fire Department arrived, as did other off-duty rescue worker who heard of the nature of the injuries and went to assist.

The injuries were deemed "rather significant," said Tiverton Fire Chief Robert Lloyd on Tuesday, and a decision was made to evacuate the girl by helicopter to Hasbro. However, said the chief, when it was learned the helicopter could not get to the scene for 25-30 minutes, it was determined to be "more prudent" to transported

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