A teenage member of a lifeboat crew is in hospital after falling overboard and being hit by the propeller of his inshore rescue craft.
Alistair McLean, 19, was said to have suffered serious head injuries after the blade sliced into his skull.
He was taken to Edinburgh's Western General Infirmary following Sunday's accident on the Firth of Forth.
The incident involving the lifeboat from Kinghorn, south-west of Kirkcaldy, happened during a training exercise.
Mr McLean, from Kinghorn, who has been a member of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for the past two years, underwent emergency surgery on Sunday evening. His condition was later said to be stable.
"He is such a active guy and is full of beans - the lifeboats are his passion, he joined up as soon as he was old enough"
Relatives said he fell overboard headfirst and suffered critical head injuries after crashing into the back of the boat. Weather conditions were calm at the time.
Mr McLean's uncle, Paddy Crossan, 54, also from Kinghorn, said doctors were waiting for the teenager to regain consciousness so they could determine the full extend of his injuries.
Mr Crossan, a former RNLI crewman, said: "With an accident like this, nine out of ten times it is caused by bad weather.
"This wasn't the case on Sunday however as the water was still, it's a very strange accident.
"The other crew members say he fell head first into the water and crashed into the propeller, which cut his skull clean open."
Mr Crossan said that despite wearing a protective helmet, the blade had sliced straight through Mr McLean's skull.
Fully-trained member
His fellow crew members dived in after him before pulling him aboard and racing back to shore where they were met by an ambulance.
Mr McLean's parents Neil and Pamela, brother Ian and sister Sharon were keeping a vigil at his bedside.
Mr Crossan continued: "Doctors have said Alistair is in a stable condition but the damage to his brain is irreparable.
"He is still in a coma so we have to wait for him to regain consciousness before we know the full extent of his injuries.
"Doctors have put him on muscle relaxants so he doesn't damage himself when he regains consciousness. He is a fighter though and there's no way he'll give up on life."
Mr McLean joined the RNLI as soon as he turned 17 - the minimum age - and has been training for the past two years.
He is now a fully-trained member of the duty crew, which is on call 24-hours a day.
Mr Crossan said: "He is such a active guy and is full of beans - the lifeboats are his passion, he joined up as soon as he was old enough.
"He loves going out with friends and was a bit of a party animal you could say - he was also planning to go to university to study hospitality management."
The boat was a twin-engine Atlantic 75 class lifeboat, which normally carries a crew of three. The 7.3m (24ft) long vessel can reach speeds of 34kts and is built with a glass reinforced plastic hull.
Fife police and the RNLI are currently conducting a full investigation into the incident and are helping the Marine Accident Investigation Branch with its inquiry.
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