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Family Hospitalized After Boat Crash in Indian River

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on August 24, 2016

A four-person family were returning in their boat from a dinner out on Friday night when their boat crashed and capsized in the Indian River, close to where the Hubert Humphrey Bridge crosses over the water. Cocoa Police’s Public Information Officer, Yvonne Martinez, the accident was reported around 10:40pm. The calls that began flooding the 911 response center, a boat had capsized in the river and several people were thought to be in the water.

Public Information Officer Martinez states that the boat is believed to have collided with a wire that offered support to a telephone pole along the bank. Upon colliding with the wire, the family (which included an infant named Charlotte, a young toddler named Kennedy, Tammy Bossard and her husband), was thrown out of the boat and into the water. The boat, which subsequently capsized, trapped Kennedy underneath.

The Cocoa Beach Police arrived and immediately began pulling the family from the water. A civilian, who has not been named, was also on hand with a boat to offer assistance to the family and the emergency teams. Tammy Brossard was able to climb aboard the boat with her daughter, Charlotte, but Kennedy remained underneath the boat. Wittinesses said that they were able to hear the child crying, but it was difficult to discern exactly where the crying was coming from.

Two Cocoa Officers, Matt Rush and Cpl. Alan Worthy, began diving underneath the boat to look for the child. 45 excruciating minutes went by before the two officers were able to locate Kennedy and pull her out from underneath the vessel. Afterward, while discussing the incident, Officer Rush stated that, were it not for the life jacket and air-bubble that formed underneath the boat, the child would have died.

Although it is not believed that any of the Brossard family sustained life-threatening injuries, all were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation and treatment. The incident is still under investigation, with the Florida Wildlife Commission handling the operation. As of this moment, no charges have been brought forward on anyone, and it is unknown why exactly the wire that caused the crash was not seen by the individual piloting the boat.

Read More:
Family of 4 rescued after boat crashes, overturns in Cocoa
Florida toddler found alive after an hour in air pocket under overturned boat

James O. Cunningham

James O. CunninghamSince 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.

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