Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office is asking the public's help with finding a boater who struck a Fenton woman, now identified as 40-year-old Beth Ayers, who was swimming in Pontiac Lake Saturday afternoon.

It happened around 1:30 pm on the eastern portion of Pontiac Lake, near Walt's Point Marina in White Lake Township.

Ayers' father, Mick McCanna, said his daughter made a quick decision to dive deeper into the water, avoiding a hit to her head and likely saving her life.

“At the very last second she was able to dive down thankful because otherwise we’d be talking a different story today," he told WXYZ Detroit.

Ayers was helped to the boat, then brought to shore, where an ambulance took her to the ICU, where she still is.

"Her injuries are pretty substantial she has a cracked vertebra, cracked ribs, laceration on the lungs, lung bruising, liver bruising, blood clots and a chest tube to drain the blood," McCanna said.

Ayers is a mother of three, who now faces time off work and a long road to recovery. Her family is raising money to help, while asking for someone who knows something to come forward.

“It’s terrifying because you don't know, you don't know the extent of the internal injuries, you don't know how long it’s going to take to recover, but one thing we do know is that she’s alive and we’re very thankful for that," McCanna added.

A GoFundMe account to assist Ayers is linked below.

Witnesses described the vessel as a white speed boat/jet boat with dark accent striping. The operator was described as a white man between 50-60 years of age.

Anyone who witnessed the crash, recognizes the description of the boat, or has photographs, video or other information that could assist investigators is asked to contact the Oakland County Sheriff's at (248) 858-4950.

Residents and businesses near Pontiac Lake are also encouraged to review security or surveillance footage from Saturday afternoon for any images of a boat matching the description.

The crash remains under investigation.