Three Injured in Crash Between Airboats in West Cocoa

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on January 14, 2019

A collision on Thursday, January 10th, inside of West Cocoa left numerous people in the hospital while units working with the Brevard County Fire Rescue were engaged in cleaning up and investigating the incident. Early reports suggest that the airboat accident took place close to the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp which is located along a stretch of the St. Johns River that parallels State Road 520.

Rather than cars or trucks, this particular accident involved a more Florida-centric sort of vehicle: airboats. These boats, often used for tours of what remains of the Everglades, feature enormous fans set onto the back of large metal rafts. Because of the propulsion system that isn’t based on a propeller sitting in the water, airboats are able to travel both over water and areas that might be damp or soggy but without any meaningful depth.

It is not clear just what happened to cause the incident, and we are also not entirely certain on when the collision itself took place. What we do know is that the crash involved at least two airboats and that at least three people were injured in the event, but the full extent of these injuries is not currently clear. The reports suggested that two of the people injured refused any treatment (a circumstance that was possible for any number of reasons, the primary one being the shocking cost of emergency medical care for those who have experienced unexpected injuries) but that a third was rushed to a nearby hospital as a trauma alert patient.

The Brevard County Fire Rescue members who responded to the incident were able to use a boat offered by a civilian who was in the area where the crash happened. Using this boat, the fire rescue crews rushed to the location of the crash and began to administer what medical aid they could. An investigation is currently underway to determine just what happened to cause the incident.

What is not clear is whether or not any charges are pending in the case. It is also unknown if the two airboats were owned by private companies and, if so, if the people aboard were customers of these companies.

Sources:

• Multiple people injured in airboat crash near Lone Cabbage Fish Camp

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.