Marine incidents are less common considering the vastness of the bodies of water in our area, but the late evening hours of March 12 saw two boats smack into one another between Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach.
At this time, it’s not known whether proximity device failure or boating under the influence was involved in causing the incident. We’re also not privy to the names of anyone on the two vessels at the present time.
We do know that the Sanibel Fire Rescue District confirmed that seven people were brought ashore to be medically evaluated, although it’s not clear whether that care extended to a hospital stay.
Sanibel Fire Rescue worked in tandem with the U.S. Coast Guard to respond and render assistance to both vessels after the crash.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has looked into boating accidents before and has metrics on what causes these incidents to take place.
“A leading contributor to boating accidents is the operator’s inattention or failure to maintain a proper lookout,” said Lieutenant Seth Wagner, FWC Boating and Waterways Section. “Many operators believe they are looking around but they are not recognizing potential hazards or are distracted by dividing their attention between things like electronic devices or other occupants in the boat.” Via MyFWC.com
Nearly half of the boating accidents in 2020 that involved collisions were due to a lack of attention paid by the operator.
If you or someone you know is the victim of a transit accident on land or at sea, please contact our firm at (561) 655-1990.
