A 35-year-old woman died after being crushed between a boat and the MacArthur Causeway on the Intracoastal Waterway in Miami, Florida. WTVJ-TV reported that Janette Africano was on an 18-foot vessel being operated by 35-year-old Javier Lorente on January 12, 2012. The boat was southbound when Lorente realized there was too much boat traffic and made a U-turn under the bridge to head back north. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Jorge Pino told WTVJ that Lorente “either lost control of the vessel or he got a little disoriented.”

“She was on board the vessel and attempted to stop the vessel from colliding into the seawall,” Pino told WTVJ, adding that something happened “where it caused the boat to accelerate, causing the boat to crash into the bridge.”

WTVJ noted that the Intracoastal Waterway near MacArthur Causeway is especially busy with boat traffic on Saturday nights. Africano was on the boat and unresponsive when the Coast Guard arrived to the incident. WFOR-TV reported that she was taken by ambulance to Jackson Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Pino told WFOR that nothing indicated alcohol played a role in the recreational boating accident.

“I’ve seen many accidents here in my career with the FWC, but this is certainly something unusual,” said Pino, adding, “We want to get to the bottom of it and find out and learn from this accident maybe this will never have to happen again.”

Individuals can sustain serious injuries in accidents involving recreational watercrafts, and proving negligence in these cases can be extremely complicated. WTVJ  noted that in this case, investigators will have many other boaters that were nearby to help them determine how this tragedy might have happened. Latti & Anderson LLP employs its own experienced full-time investigator to obtain all of the facts surrounding any accident on the water, allowing our firm to provide unparalleled legal representation for clients.

You can learn more about wrongful death cases by visiting our website. If you were injured or a loved one was killed in an accident involving a recreational vessel, use the form on this page to let our Boston maritime attorneys review your case or contact our firm today at (800) 392-6072 to set up a free initial consultation.

Latti & Anderson LLP – Boston maritime trial lawyers