A 7-foot dolphin accidentally jumped into a dinghy Thursday morning near Fort Myers Beach, Fla. and found itself struck.
A man, who witnessed the dolphin jump into his sailboat's dinghy, called for help at around 1 a.m., according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard and a marine biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission determined the dolphin should be placed back into the water as quickly as possible to ensure its survival.
A 29-foot Response Boat-Small II boat crew from Station Fort Myers Beach was launched and quickly helped the dolphin back into the water.
"I am proud of the close coordination between our crews and the professionals at FWC," said Chief Warrant Officer Robert Gruschow, commanding officer of Station Fort Myers Beach. "Through this coordination we were able to save another life.