Man, pregnant daughter killed in Florida boating accident on Memorial Day
A busy Memorial Day holiday at the beach along Volusia County turned tragic when two boats collided in Ponce Inlet, killing a DeLand-area man, his adult daughter and the woman’s unborn baby.
The crash occurred when a 25-foot boat ran over the top of a smaller boat at about 4 p.m., said Joy Hill, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is investigating the crash.
All of those killed were aboard the smaller boat, a 17-foot 2006 Sundance, Hill said.
She identified the three victims as Cyril J. Holley Jr., 46, his daughter, Madison Holley, 19, and her unborn child. Both lived at the same address on Hontoon Road near DeLand.
Hill did not know the gender of the unborn baby, but said the child was “just weeks away from being born.”
Three people told officers they were injured. Two of them were admitted to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach, she said. Neither their names nor the extent of their injuries was released. The third person who was hurt refused treatment, Hill said.
It was not known which of the boats the injured where aboard.
There were seven people aboard the smaller boat and six on the other vessel, a 25-foot 1989 Chaparral, Hill said.
All of them were either related or knew each other, Hill said. “It’s very, very tragic,” she said.
Investigators are looking into the possibility that the wake from another boat might have contributed to the crash, said Hill, adding that fatal boating accident investigations “often take months to complete.”
The crash occurred in the Intracoastal Waterway, “right across from the Coast Guard station,” Hill said. It was just south of Disappearing Island, she said.
Disappearing Island is an area that forms from sandbars when the tide goes out, said Capt. Scott Petersohn of the Volusia County Beach Patrol. People like to go there “because there are no real rules about drinking,” he said.
Some of the victims were taken to Disappearing Island before rescue workers arrived, said Petersohn, whose agency used its boats to transport some of the occupants of the two boats to shore.
The beaches were packed Monday as locals and tourists alike celebrated the holiday that signals the beginning of summer.
“It was a crazy day today,” Petersohn said. “We had a huge crowd.”
Planes crash rattles residents around Clearwater Airpark
When it was built in 1939, the Clearwater Airpark was surrounded by orange groves and cow pastures. Fast forward more than 60 years, and today the single runway general aviation airport is surrounded tightly by neighborhood subdivisions on each side.
The airport services right around 50,000 aircraft each year, but on Sunday, one of those planes had trouble lifting off the runway, clipping a home’s roof before crashing in the backyard in a ball of flames.
No one on board the aircraft or in the home was killed, but the incident makes residents who live all around the airport nervous.
Sunday’s accident isn’t the first surrounding the Clearwater Airpark. The NTSB database shows at least 18 aviation incidents at or around the general aviation facility dating back to the 1980’s.
Pilots who use the airport say it’s a huge asset to the community and has turned out numerous pilots such as NASA astronaut Nicole Stott who attended an open house at the facility just last month.
Relatively, aviation is considered one of the safest forms of transportation, especially considering the number of car accident on roadways around Clearwater over the past 20 years.
Florida woman killed in single-car accident
One woman was killed and another injured in a single-vehicle crash near Ormond Beach, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Sgt. Kim Montes said 69-year-old Frances Starost was driving a Ford pickup west on State Road 40 from Chesser Hammock Road just after 6 p.m. Monday. Starost suddenly drove left of center on the roadway and overcorrected the truck, Montes said.
The pickup rotated clockwise and headed toward the north shoulder of the highway, going into a ditch.
The front end of the truck rammed into a tree and the truck overturned, Montes said, ejecting Starost and her front-seat passenger, Lyudmyla Starost, 58, who died at the scene, Montes said. Frances Starost suffered serious injuries.
The women came from Summerfield in Marion County; neither was wearing a seat belt, according to an FHP report.
The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending, Montes said.
Florida Boater Admits He Was Drinking Before Fatal Crash
An arrest report shows that the driver of a boat involved in a fatal accident in Delray Beach told police he was drinking while behind the wheel.
Mandy Romeu told police he had four drinks before the crash. The 42-year-old said he was “crushed” about the outcome and now he will “have to pay the price.” Records show he has no previous boating violations or citations.
Romeu was charged with vessel homicide, reckless operation of a vehicle and violation of navigational rules. He was released from jail on Monday after posting bond.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says he crashed a boat into a navigation marker in the Intracoastal Waterway early Saturday. It was not yet clear if the area had speed restrictions.
Pedestrian struck, killed by train in Plant City
Plant City police are investigating a fatal accident where a train hit a pedestrian on Wheeler Road.
It appears to be a slow moving freight train, no one on board was injured.
Wheeler Road at Renfro is closed as the investigation continues.
Florida Man charged with DUI in van-bus accident
The Florida Highway Patrol has charged a Pensacola man with drunken driving and driving with an expired license after he crashed his van into an Escambia County school bus.
David Magrino, 48, also was charged with failure to maintain a single lane after the driver’s side of his van struck the rear driver’s side of the bus, which was headed west on West Avery Street on Tuesday, the FHP said.
A witness told troopers that Magrino veered off the road as he headed east on Green Street then steered back onto road hitting the bus.
There were five Pine Forest High School students on the bus, and one suffered minor injuries. The bus driver’s assistant, Virginia Evans, 58, also suffered minor injures, the FHP said. The driver of the bus, Anna Marie Bingham, 42, and the other four students aboard were not injured.
All lanes open after fatal accident on Florida turnpike
Troopers have reopened all southbound lanes of traffic after a fatal rollover accident on the Florida Turnpike in Boynton Beach.
The accident happened just after 11 a.m. between Boynton Beach Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue.
Initial reports suggest a vehicle hit the median wall and appeared to roll over several times. It scattered debris across several lanes of traffic.
Palm Beach County Fire officials confirm there is one fatality despite the efforts of a Hollywood battalion chief who stopped to help.
A second patient was transported as a trauma alert to an area hospital and a third person received minor injuries.
Northbound lanes had been shut down intermittently as troopers allowed southbound drivers to turn around.
Boaters remain in hospital after weekend accident
Three men involved in a boating accident Saturday remain hospitalized.
Jason T. Baldner, 35, of 2110 Maplewood Drive, Onalaska, Wis., remained in critical condition Tuesday afternoon at Lee Memorial Hospital, according to officials.
Two Cape residents, Jason B. Williams, 36, of 2011 S.E. 13th St., was listed as fair, and Eric J. Terpsman, 31, of 1041 S.E. 20th Ave., was listed in good condition.
Williams was driving a boat at the end of Coral Point Drive when the vessel hit a seawall near Cantry Canal at a high rate of speed at about 7:23 p.m., according to officials. Baldner and Terpsma were passengers in the vessel, which topped the seawall and partially landed on land.
The three men were trauma-alerted to Lee Memorial Hospital.
“They hit a seawall and ended up in a vacant lot,” said Gary Morse, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
He added that the “damages are extensive” to the boat.
Alcohol is suspected to have played a role in the accident, and officials are awaiting test results.
“It’s under investigation,” Morse said.
He would not speculate Tuesday as to what charges, if any, are pending. However, it appears that Williams failed to maintain a proper lookout while operating the vessel, which is a boating violation, Morse explained.
“This is a situation where some common sense for boating safety were violated,” he said. “There are a few things we tell people to do, and it seems to be consistent with every boating accident that one was not followed.”
According to Morse, boaters and their passengers should:
- Always wear a life vest.
- Keep a proper lookout and be aware of your surroundings.
- Operate a vessel at a safe speed.
- Never operate a vessel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, even prescription drugs.
The investigation continues.
Man Plans to Sue City over S.I. Ferry Crash
The first, in what is expected to be many lawsuits stemming from the weekend’s Staten Island Ferry accident, is expected to be filed today.
labio Silva, of Queens, says he was a passenger on the Andrew J. Barberi when it crashed into the St. George Terminal on Saturday as it was docking. Nearly three dozen passengers were hurt in the accident. Most of the injuries in the crash were minor.
Silva, a 50-year-old construction worker, claims his lower back was hurt when the ferry slammed into the dock and is planning to sue the city for $5 million.
Investigators have determined that the accident was not a criminal act. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says most signs are pointing to mechanical failure.
“The City of New York is responsible for the actions of its employees, the crew and the operation and maintenance of the ferry boat, and is liable for damages to those who were injured,” Attorney Sanford Rubenstein said in a statement. ” It is incredible that the same ferry boat that took ll lives and injured over 100 is once again the ferry boat on which New Yorkers have been injured.”
The Barberi is the same boat that crashed into the same terminal in 2003, killing 11 people and injuring a dozen others. That accident occurred when the pilot, suffering from extreme fatigue and on painkillers, passed out at the wheel and the boat hit the St. George terminal at full speed. The ferry returned to service after a multimillion-dollar rehabilitation.
Tractor-Trailer Accident Closes Route 20
A tractor-trailer went over a guardrail on Route 20 south Thursday morning in Harrison County.
Just before 10:30 a.m., the truck’s passenger side wheels hit a soft shoulder and overturned south of Romines Mills, leaving part of the rig over an embankment, state police said.
The driver was able to get out of the truck, but his passenger, his son, had to be extricated by emergency workers.
That process took more than an hour.
The passenger was flown by Healthnet helicopter to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown.
There is no word on the extent of his injuries.
The accident pulled down telephone and cable lines in the area.
Route 20 will be closed well into Thursday afternoon while the accident scene is cleaned up.
Speed was not a factor in the accident and no citations are expected, according to state troopers.
The truck was owned by Harco Trucking. It was hauling paper goods and was headed for the Sago area of Upshur County, troopers said.
The Nutter Fort and Stonewood volunteer fire departments, along with the Anmoore EMS unit, the state police, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department and the Division of Highways all responded to the scene, according to 911 officials.
