One Man Killed During Boat Crash at PortMiami

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on June 26, 2023

Authorities with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are currently investigating a boat accident between a yacht and a ferry that claimed the life of one individual and injured another near Pilot House Station in Miami-Dade County over the weekend.

According to early details from the United States Coast Guard and the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, it was between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 25, 2023, when the first reports started to come into dispatch offices regarding indicating that a 30-foot yacht had crashed into the Pelican II, a local ferry that carries passengers to and from Fisher Island.

After the impact, ferry employees were able to pull one victim from the water and he was transported with minor injuries to Ryder Trauma Center by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue medical teams. While en route to the hospital, the injured man started to ask about his friend who was also about the yacht when it crashed. It was then that official Miami emergency rescue dive teams were assembled and began their search for the missing individual.

Helicopters, boaters, and divers combed the area for an undetermined amount of time before they eventually located the second boater underwater. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Due to the location of the collision, which is a popular port-of-call for multiple major cruise lines, the U.S. Coast Guard was forced to implement a temporary security barrier around the area for all foot and maritime traffic. The Port of Miami was later reopened once the sunken yacht was recovered from the water.

This case is under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. No further information is known, however, updates are expected to be released at the conclusion of the case.

There are several critical factors that officials will need to take into account, including the speed of the yacht at the time of the crash, and whether or not the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Another potential possibility is that the watercraft itself sustained some sort of mechanical malfunction that caused the driver to lose control of the vessel.

Florida personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham has represented boating & jetski accident victims for over forty-six years and counting. If you would like to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please submit a quick contact form on our website or call an associate today at 877-FL-INJURY.

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.