A 20 year-old Seminole, Florida man snorkeling Wednesday morning was critically injured and airlifted to a hospital after being struck by a boat operated by a Key West man, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said Thursday.
At 8:09 a.m. on July 24, FWC officers responded to a report of a single vessel incident near the Boca Chica Bridge in the Lower Keys. It was the first day of lobster mini-season, the two-day event that fills the waters with boaters and people diving to catch their bag limit.
Sean Steven Bender was reportedly diving for spiny lobster when Mark Johnson, 36, of Key West, was passing under the bridge in a 19-foot Stratos boat that struck Bender.
Bender suffered life-threatening injuries, according to Monroe County spokeswoman Kristen Livengood, and he was airlifted to the Miami Trauma Center.
Bender, who was under the bridge at the time of the collision, was gravely injured and remained hospitalized on Thursday, according to FWC spokesman Liam Rodriguez, who’s based in the Keys.
“He received a severe injury to his right arm,” Rodriguez said.
Alcohol is not considered a factor, he said.
FWC’s investigation is ongoing. They have to put together the exact positions of all involved, confirm the boat’s rate of speed and any potential navigational issues, Rodriguez said.
But all witnesses told FWC that a dive flag was near Bender before he was struck by the boat.
Mini-season ended Thursday. No other major incidents had been reported, as of Thursday morning, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said. MCSO spokesman Adam Linhardt released summaries of each day’s citations, checks and other factors.
