Name Released of Man Killed in Florida Boating Accident

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on July 18, 2017

On July 4th, several Orlando men were enjoying the sunshine and the spirit of celebration while on a personal watercraft on Lake Butler when their vessel overturned. The accident threw all three men into the water, although all remained alive and well at this time. According to the initial statement about the incident, the boat overturned as the three men were attempting to make a turn in the popular Orange County lake. This reportedly occurred around 7:45 in the evening. While the men were able to ultimately right the watercraft, one of them became submerged for reasons that were not immediately clear. Witnesses to the incident managed to reach the three men and retrieve the sinking man. They pulled him to shore and, after finding him unresponsive, began to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Emergency response teams arrived at Lake Butler shortly afterward and rushed the man to a nearby hospital. Sadly, neither the efforts of the witnesses nor the attention of the medical teams could revive the man. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Now, two weeks after the initial incident occurred, the Orange County authorities have provided the name of the man who fell off the watercraft and died. Edward M. Robinson, originally from Dayton, Ohio, was employed as both a nurse and a wiring technician at the time of his death. The Orange County Police Department listed heart disease as the official cause of Robinson’s death. His immersion into the water counts as a contributing factor to the circumstances of his death, however those in charge of the investigation decided that the accident did not immediately cause or otherwise unduly affect Robinson’s death in any way.

Accidents such as this highlight the need for people enjoying the waterways of Florida to take seriously the safety standards outlined for boaters. Turning, stopping, and steering all work much differently in a boat then they do in a car, and it is vitally important (as illustrated by this case) that anyone aboard a watercraft become well familiar with the operating instructions of their personal craft as well as their own ability to properly pilot that craft.

James O. Cunningham

Since 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.