Articles Posted in Boating Accident

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On Monday morning, Judy Montague was diving off Key West Bight, a historic seaport in Key West, was hit by the propellers of a 72-foot yacht.

Trauma Star.jpgJudy Montague was transported by helicopter to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami where she underwent surgery to her leg. Her status, while unknown, has been reported as remaining critical.

The cause of the incident is still unclear today. Capt. Pedro Arpon, who was operated the yacht, The Palagon, at the time, is still being heard by the investigators and charges have not been levied yet. The first element of answer came from Officer Bobby Dube of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) who is investigating the incident.

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Published in a recent article in the Miami Herald, two boaters from Key West died in a boating accident that occurred at Boca Chica Channel. According to a fisherman who witnessed the accident and called 911, the boat collided with a bridge piling at the Lower Keys bridge in the evening hours of Sunday, July 1st.

boca chica channel.jpgBoth men aboard the 150-horsepower vessel were catapulted on impact. One of the occupants, Stuart Chase Barber, 28, was found in the water about two hours after the accident. Gabriel Carlos Gonzalez, 35, was spotted earlier and rescued by helicopter. Intensive care treatment was administered at Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, but he died the following morning due to severe injuries.

While the U.S. Coast Guard and the the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission continue to investigate the cause of the accident, the Citizen, The Florida Key’s only daily newspaper, reported that Investigators are awaiting toxicology reports to determine whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash, according to Officer Robert Dube, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

This is the latest reminder to all Floridians that accidents and fatalities spike during and around festivities of National Holidays, such as the 4th of July. The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles just published statistics about last year’s July 4th, which also serve as a reminder to all Floridians and visitors to drive safely: “During the 96 hours of the fourth of July Holiday in 2011, 29 people were killed on Florida roads. . . . There were 90 DUI arrests during the July 4th weekend in 2011 (from July 1 to July 4, 2011) and 5 deaths related to alcohol.”
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