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.
An 18-year-old died when she was hit by a propeller trying to board a New Jersey boat over the weekend officials say.
The teen was on a raft being pulled by the boat and, when she tried to get on the boat, was hit by the propeller. Additional details were not immediately available Tuesday. The investigation is ongoing.
Officials urged boaters and swimmers alike to be advised of boating safety and propeller safety protocols stating that even when in neutral or at rest, propellers can still present a danger.
A 6-year-old boy was hit and killed by a boat propeller after he went overboard into a Missouri Lake, according to reporting from The Miami Herald Monday.
The boy was reportedly knee-boarding on Table Rock Lake in the Ozarks, a man-made lake, around 11 a.m. when he fell in the water. The operator of the boat circled back for the boy and, as he attempted to swim back to the vessel, he was caught by the propeller while the boat was still in reverse. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene by a Deputy Coroner.
A woman in Central Florida who went overboard on a Pontoon boat last week was killed after being hit by the boat’s propeller. Two weeks ago, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a public notice to alert boaters to safety tips regarding divers-down flags ahead of the start of the lobster mini-season. This comes as boaters and personal watercraft users saw back-to-back incidents on the water in the Florida Keys at the beginning of the month which resulted in the injury of at least eight people including a child and the death of one other person. On July 14, a crash involving a 42-foot boat and a jet ski resulted in the death of at least one person.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sent out a public notice urging boaters to keep an eye out for divers-down flags in a month known statistically for a high rate of accidents on the water.
In their advisory, FWC encouraged boaters to avoid distraction and watch out for divers-down flags. These flags and buoys are essential warnings to approaching vessels that there are people in the water. These flags must have the divers-down symbol and be prominently displayed. When spotting a flag of this kind, boaters must operate at idle speed within 300 feet of the flag when in open water or within 100 feet when in inlets and or navigational channels. Divers must stay within the outlined distance of their flags.
Recent Incidents
A woman died Sunday after she went overboard and was hit by a boat propeller on the Ocklawaha River, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The woman was on a Pontoon boat with at least eight other people around 1:30 p.m. when she went overboard and was hit by the propeller. She was pulled from the water but died en route to the hospital.
This comes after three back-to-back incidents on the water in Monroe County over the Fourth of July weekend and one fatal incident last week in Bay Harbor Islands involving a jet ski.
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