Cruise Ship Accident Lawyer Blog
MIAMI, FL— November 30, 2011 – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators are looking into what might have caused a powerboat to plow into a seawall during the early hours of Nov. 28, killing one boater and leaving another hospitalized with unspecified injuries. According to the Sun Sentinel, the fatal boating accident occurred at approximately 1:20 a.m. along the Intracoastal Waterway in Hollywood, Fla.
Reports suggested Aldo Antonio Rodriguez, 41, and female passenger Odalys Diaz, 45, were aboard a 25- to 26-foot center console vessel, navigating the Intracoastal Waterway in the dark, when the boat slammed into a western seawall. Diaz was thrown from the boat on impact. Rodriguez, on the other hand, became trapped in the vessel’s damaged bow as a result of the watercraft accident.
The crashed boat then mysteriously went on to circle the accident site, even after striking a second wall on the eastern side of the Intracoastal. According to Hollywood Fire Rescue Division Chief Mark Steele, who responded to the scene along with other paramedics from the department, “When they first saw it, they were like, ‘How is this happening?’”
Although emergency medical crews rushed both Rodriguez and Diaz to Memorial Regional Hospital following the violent boat wreck, Rodriguez’s injuries proved fatal at the hospital. The extent of Diaz’s crash injuries remained undisclosed.
While FWC detectives have yet to determine the cause of the Hollywood boat crash, speed was suspected to have contributed to the fatal accident. “That’s definitely something they’re going to take a look at… It is likely a factor considering the force involved in the accident… It will be under investigation for probably quite a while,” explained Carli Segelson, a spokesperson for the commission.
About the Miami boat accident attorneys and cruise ship injury lawyers of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.
With four decades of experience litigating the multifaceted personal injury and wrongful death claims of boat and cruise line passengers who are hurt or assaulted onboard, the knowledgeable Florida boating accident lawyers of Gerson & Schwartz are dedicated to protecting the rights of these individuals and fighting to provide them with the compensation they deserve. Working closely with the National Center for Victims of Crime, the Miami personal injury attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. strive to provide justice to individuals who suffer serious injuries in a wide variety of boating accidents.