Father of teen killed in February boat accident charged

June 10, 2015

On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Offshore & Boat Accidentson Wednesday, June 15, 2011.

As we reported earlier, two teens tragically lost their lives in a boating accident in February. Now, the father of one of the teens, who was operating the boat, has been arrested and charged with reckless operation of his boat.

According to reports, the man was operating the boat when it began to lose power. He apparently walked away from the controls, several feet away, so he could pump the fuel bulb. After the boat regained power, it apparently veered to the right and crashed into a tree branch that was sticking out horizontally over the water. The two teens who died in the boat accidentwere sitting at the front of the boat at the time. They were both high school students at Middleburg High School at the time.

The man was charged with a first-degree misdemeanor of reckless operation. It was apparently determined he failed to keep a proper lookout and was speeding at the time of the accident. An investigative report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission noted that leaving the controls of the boat may have contributed to the accident.

According to First Coast News, the report also includes new details regarding the accident that were not previously released. One new revelation is that the driver’s son rose up in order to attempt to get his friend out of the way. Another is that the man had consumed two or three beers the day of the accident, although he did not have any alcohol in his blood when he was tested.

According to First Coast News, the man did not want to comment on the story, but did say the accident has left him in misery.

Source: First Coast News, “Father charged in connection with crash that killed son, friend,” Erich Spivey, 10 June 2011