A 17-old-girl from Miami-Dade County died after a boat she was on with 13 others crashed into a channel marker just 500 feet from the Monroe County line during Labor Day weekend.
According to a preliminary report by Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation, 14 occupants aboard a 29-foot Robalo were departing Elliot Key to Ocean Reef around 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 4. While traveling through Cutter Bank, the boat collided with a green channel marker 15. All occupants were thrown by the impact of the crash.
First responders were called to the bayside of Broad Creek, located at the south end of Cutter Bank in Miami-Dade County, to find 12 juveniles and two adults in the water. The boat capsized.
Good Samaritans and multiple responding agencies, which included FWC and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, recovered all occupants, who resided in Miami-Dade County, from the water and transported them to land. They were ultimately sent to hospitals to receive medical attention.
FWC said Luciana Fernandez died as a result of the injuries she sustained in the accident. According to a Miami Herald report, a majority of the teens on the boat attend Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Coconut Grove or Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Southwest Miami-Dade. In memory of Fernandez, Lourdes held a vigil on Monday night at the school.
Four other teenagers and the two adults, identified as George Ignacio Pino and Cecilia Pino, were injured. George Ignacio Pino is president of a Doral-based real estate brokerage company, according to the Herald.
As of Sept. 5, three remained hospitalized. The remaining six teenagers were uninjured.
FWC says alcohol isn’t believed to be a factor in the incident. Investigation into the accident continues with arrests pending.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the victims, their family and friends at this time,” FWC said.
