Florida residents take pride in being able to use their boats throughout the year without having to battle with frigid temperatures. It’s a wonderful advantage to living down here, and makes outdoor time all the more enjoyable.
However, it’s important to remember that boats, just like other land motor vehicles, are susceptible to accidents that can take lives. Unfortunately, our community had a chilling reminder of that fact on January 7, as 28 year-old Roger DeCapito died when his boat flipped over on Lake Osborne.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, DeCapito’s boat was speeding on the water, and ended up flipping several times.
“If anything, I think this should be a lesson on boat safety, on water safety here in Florida because that’s a really big deal about living here in this paradise,” said local resident Cynthia Mondragon. Via WPTV.com
It took rescue crews just about 24 hours to locate DeCapito’s body. DeCapito was traveling on his boat alone during the time of the accident.
Mondragon and fellow resident John Castro commented that it’s pretty common to find people flying through the water on their vessels.
“You see these wave runners speeding all the time,” Castro said. “Sometimes you see families kayaking, fishing, and they go flying through sometimes racing each other. Via WPTV.com
Members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, as well as dive teams from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the search to find DeCapito’s body.
Information regarding DeCapito’s mental state, or whether there was a technical consideration that caused the boat to flip over is not available at this time. The presence of alcohol or drugs can also not be confirmed at this juncture of the investigation.
Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath expresses its deepest condolences to DeCapito’s friends and family. If you or anyone you know is injured in a motor vehicle accident on land or on the water, please call us at (561) 655-1990.
