One Teen Killed, Another Injured in Redington Beach Boating Accident

866691_seattle_boating_2%20sxchu%20unplethr.jpgA Pinellas County boat crash has left one teenager dead and another injured. The two teens were involved in an accident while riding on an inner tube being pulled behind a 24-foot fishing boat at the Redington Yacht and Tennis Club. According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the driver of the boat, 15-year-old Brandon Noah, reportedly navigated the vessel too close to a dock. Although the boat did not strike the dock, the tube attached to the vessel did and the two teens riding on the inner tube were thrown into the air. Although one girl landed in the water, 15-year-old Deviny Boese flew into a piling on the dock. Following the accident, Noah reportedly pulled the girls from the water and administered CPR until rescue crews arrived. Boese was transported to St. Petersburg General Hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries. 16-year-old Sarah Dobbs was taken to All Children’s Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A passenger on the boat, 15-year-old Noah Epstein reportedly took the boat to Noah’s home in order to notify his parents about the crash. According to law enforcement officers, the accident is still under investigation but appears to have been caused by boater inexperience. Noah was cited for misdemeanor reckless operation of a boat that resulted in a fatality and failure to have a boating safety identification card. The teens apparently did not have permission to use the boat when the accident occurred.

Although no license is required in order to operate a boat in Florida, anyone born in 1988 or later must obtain a boating safety identification card in order to operate a vessel with a 10 horsepower or larger engine. There are no age restrictions placed on boaters who wish to enroll in the boating safety course required to receive an identification card. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about 27,000 boating safety cards were issued in the state last year. About 7,500 safety cards were issued to Florida residents aged 16 and under. At the time of the accident, Noah was reportedly driving a boat with 280 horsepower.

If your family member was killed in an unexpected Florida boating accident, you may have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the person who caused your loss. Generally, you have the option to file a lawsuit when a close relative’s wrongful death was caused by another person’s carelessness, recklessness, or negligence. In the State of Florida, relatives generally have up to two years to file a wrongful death claim unless the claim is against a cruise ship. The damages available to the relatives of someone killed on a cruise ship are subject to the terms of the passenger’s ticket.

If you were hurt or a loved one was killed in a Florida boating accident, contact the attorneys at Lazarus & Lazarus, P.A. Our knowledgeable Weston personal injury lawyers are available to help clients who have suffered an unexpected loss recover the damages they deserve. Our attorneys represent boating and other accident victims in Orlando, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Weston, and throughout Dade, Palm Beach, and Broward Counties. To speak with a committed and caring personal injury lawyer today, contact the law firm of Lazarus & Lazarus through our website or give us a call at (954) 356-0006.

More Blogs:

UF Student Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver While Riding Her Bicycle in Gainesville, Florida Personal Injury Attorney Blog, July 14, 2012
Two Men Killed After Drunk Driver Crashes Into Historic Liberty City Restaurant, Florida Personal Injury Attorney Blog, July 3, 2012
Additional Resources:

Boat involved in fatal accident had been owned by family for only a month, by Laura C. Morel and Michael Finch II, Tampa Bay Times

One dead, one injured in boating crash, Tampa Bay Newspapers

1 girl killed, 1 injured in tubing accident, Miamiherald.com

Photo credit: plethr, Stock.xchng