Florida boating accident kills two teens

On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Offshore & Boat Accidentson Saturday, March 5, 2011.

Recently, two high-school students lost their lives in a tragic boating accident. The two teenage boys were aboard a small vessel with one boy’s father when fatal circumstances unfolded.

The father, who had been operating the boat, left the controls to tend to the fuel bulb. At this point, the boat sharply veered and headed straight towards the creek bank. The man couldn’t get back to the controls in time and the watercraft crashed into a tree, instantly killing the two boys who were in the bow. The father was rushed to the hospital and survived the fatal accident. An investigation of the accident is still ongoing.

While it seems that most serious boating and offshore accidents involve excessive speed, alcohol, or a combination of the two, this tragic story shows how fatal crashes can occur at the most tranquil of moments. In a more familiar scenario, a man recently turned himself into authorities for his role in a fatal boating accident involving speed and alcohol that happened in May of last year.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission had been seeking the man in connection to an accident that caused the death of a Wisconsin man. In that incident, the boat operator was cruising at high speeds when he crashed into the seawall. The Florida State Attorney’s Office has charged the man with boating under the influence manslaughter, BUI resulting in serious bodily injury and BUI with damage.

These accidents demonstrate the need for boaters to exercise extreme caution while on the water, especially when they have passengers onboard, because a fun-filled day can quickly end in tragedy.

Sources:

• The Miami Herald, “2 north Fla teens killed when boat strikes tree,” February 22, 2011
• winknews.com, “Local turns self in after May 2010 boat accident leaves man dead,” March 1, 2011