Articles Posted in Boating Accident

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More than two years ago, a Miami-Dade County family suffered the unimaginable loss of their daughter in a boat crash, now the parents of Luciana Fernandez are fighting for legislative change.

It was Labor Day 2022 when then 17-year-old Luciana and over a dozen others were on a boat that crashed into a channel marker and were ejected from the vessel into Biscayne Bay. The crash killed Luciana, daughter to Melissa and Andy Fernandez, and severely disabled one other girl, Katerina Puig.

This week, Luciana’s parents published an OP-ED announcing their “mission to prevent others from suffering such a tragic loss.” Their solution? New legislation filed by State Reps. Vicki Lopes (R-Miami) and Vanessa Oliver (R-Punta Gorda) that will increase penalties for reckless boating, boating under the influence and accidents that result in death on the water. In addition to stricter penalties for violators of boating laws, House Bill 289, also known as “Lucy’s Law,” will also expand on boating safety and education requirements.

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The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners recently released an advisory to remind Florida Keys boat owners that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is once again accepting applications for its Vessel Turn-In Program (VTIP) to prevent possible.

The VTIP is entirely voluntary and was established in late 2022 to help boat owners dispose of unwanted or at-risk vessels before they become derelict, preventing possible future legal issues for the derelict boat owner in possible boat crashes and protecting Florida’s marine life. Vessels being considered must be free of all liens or other claims of ownership ad the applicant must be the titled owner of the vessel. The vessels will be removed from state waters and destroyed at no cost to the owner.

The program removes vessels on a first come, first served basis and applicants are accepted until funding runs out, or the program ends

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At least four people were rescued from a sinking boat off the coast of Marathon, Florida, Sunday.

Th incident happened about 11 miles off the coast around 5 p.m. when a distress signal reached the U.S. Coast Guard. A crew was sent out to find the 27-foot, sinking vessel and its four passengers.

Additional information including what caused the boat to sink or whether anyone was injured were not immediately available Monday.

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Several bills, including one to impose stricter penalties on boaters involved in crashes, have been proposed in the Florida House and Senate ahead of the 2025 start to the legislative session in March; here’s what you should know.

The bill referencing the penalties was proposed by Sen. Ileana Garcia, a Republican in Miami, and would classify fleeing a fatal boat crash as a first-degree felony, meaning this charge could carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, if convicted. Additional penalties can include a $10,000 fine. If a person who is found guilty of this crime was also found to have bene under the influence at the time of the crash, then a mandatory, minimum sentence of four years would be applied.

This bill, SB 58, was filed in response to the 2022 Biscayne Bay boat crash that killed one high school student on board and permanently injured another. The student killed in that incident was 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez who was on the boat being operated by George Pino, a local real-estate developer. Pino was first charged with three misdemeanor charges of careless boating, but those charges were changed to vessel homicide after a witness came forward this year with new evidence in the case.

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At least 16 people were taken to the hospital after two airboats in the Everglades carrying more than 30 people crashed Friday afternoon.

The crash happened around 3:15 p.m. near Ochopee in Collier County, according to reporting from the Miami Herald. One airboat had 20 people on board while the other carried 13 people.

Additional information, including what caused the boats to crash, was not readily available on Monday.

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Authorities with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that they found the body of a missing boater after a two-day-long search.

The man, Benjamin Goodman, 35, launched a boat onto the Choctawhatchee Bay in the Florida Panhandle near Destin Tuesday. After his boat began taking on water, submerging the stern, he called his wife for help. During the call, the police say Goodman told his wife he planned to use a bucket to manually bail water from the vessel and stay afloat. She called the authorities who began searching for him and found the boat Tuesday evening, its bow peeking above the water.

“His brother and other family members have spent every moment possible since Tuesday night trying to locate Ben who, they say, grew up on the bay and loved being on the water,” The Walton County Sheriff’s Office said in an announcement via X Thursday afternoon.

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Authorities confirmed over the weekend that the human head that washed ashore on Key Biscayne belonged to a teen who went missing off Miami Beach a week before after being caught in a rip current. 

Victor Enrique Castaneda Jr., 19, was swimming with his sister off South Pointe Beach on Nov. 9 around 6 p.m. when the two were caught up in a rip current. They yelled for help and passersby were able to rescue Castaneda’s sister, but he seemed to vanish in the water, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. His older sister, Jessica Castaneda, told reporters that her brother pushed their younger sister toward shore in an effort to save her as the pair struggled against the currents. 

On Nov. 12, a human head washed up on the beach in front of Oceansound Key Colony II condominium at 251 Crandon Blvd on Key Biscayne. The remains were found by a beach maintenance worker before 8:40 a.m.

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A woman killed as the result of a tragic Nov. 7 boat crash in Key West has been identified by authorities as a 28-year-old Hialeah woman. 

Stephanie Rodriguez, the woman killed in the incident, was among several people who were ejected into the water after  the driver of a 39-foot Deep Impact, four-engine vessel made a sharp right turn as it traveled through the Calda Channel north of Key West. The passengers were rushed to the hospital for treatment and Rodriguez died from her injuries. 

That day, over 100 boats were in the area participating in the Key West Poker Run, a 32-year tradition of racing on the water put on by the Florida Powerboat Club. The operator of the vessel involved in the crash is a member of the Florida Powerboat Club and was participating in the annual run from  Miami to Key West this week to celebrate the Race World Offshore World Championship speedboat races, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. 

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A person has died and two others remain hospitalized after a boat overturned in Key Largo Saturday, marking at least the second boat crash in the Florida Keys in just over a week, officials say. 

Saturday’s crash happened before 10:30 a.m. when a 34-foot Nor-Tech carrying three people turned sharply, ejecting all three passengers into the water.

The three were rescued from the water by passersby and were later airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. 

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At least four people were injured and one other died after they were ejected from a boat that crashed into a Key West sandbar Thursday afternoon, authorities told reporters with The Miami Herald. 

The crash happened around 4 p.m. when a 39-foot Deep Impact vessel carrying at least eight people crashed into a sand bar in North Key West Harbor. Five people were catapulted into the water, officials said, and were taken to the hospital where one person died from their injuries. 

Additional details were not immediately available Friday morning. 

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