Jacksonville Florida Maritime Lawyers / Florida Boating Accident Attorneys / www.LawBoat.com

Monica Burguera Foundation

2009-09-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

In 2006 we blogged on a terrible boating accident in Miami. Some young people including Monica Burguera were killed and others injured. Recently we saw visits to our site regarding Ms. Burguera and wondered why. The activity is apparently because her family and friends have started a a non-profit organization, in order to educate boaters and help create awareness of the importance of boaters’ safety education. Here at Clark & Watson we consider ourselves boating safety advocates. This is a good thing and we encourage you to look at their foundation site found here.

Boating Death Called Freak Accident

2009-09-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

BILOXI — A shortcut cost boater Kevin Michael Reed his life.Reed, 24, was at home on the water. His father had taught him to pilot a boat, his friends say, when he was a small boy. He loved to fish from his 21-foot boat, a Kenner with an open console and T-top. He took it out almost every weekend. On Sunday he took four friends to Horn Island, where they grilled. Reed’s best friend, B.J. Rogers, said they headed back early. They planned to go kneeboarding on the Tchoutacabouffa River.

Son ( Bill Brenner ) mourns Mobile couple killed in boating accident Friday night -

2009-09-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

The president of Mobile's Southern Earth Sciences Inc. was being consoled Sunday in the aftermath of a Florida boating collision that killed his parents and aunt Friday night, a work colleague said. Friends, family and company employees were visiting William "Bill" Brenner at his Daphne home, according to Penny Hatcher, the engineering company's public relations and marketing director. Killed in the accident were George and Donna Brenner, and Jeane Srowson. They were boating with Bill Brenner on Choctawhatchee Bay near Okaloosa Island when the collision occurred about 7:45 p.m. Friday, authorities said. See this article also.

Attorneys ask to suppress evidence from fatal boat accident

2009-09-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

SIOUX CITY -- Attorneys for a Jackson, Neb., man accused of being drunk behind the wheel during a fatal boating accident have asked a judge to keep test results, evidence and statements out of court. Stan Munger and Colby Lessman, attorneys for Samuel Gomez, recently filed court documents asking a the evidence be suppressed because police didn't have probable cause to arrest their client. Gomez, 32, was arrested after a June 27 boating accident on the Missouri River near Sergeant Bluff, Iowa. Bruce Wright, of South Sioux City, was killed and South Sioux City Councilman Oscar Gomez was injured when they boat fell overboard.

New details released in Ocean Isle Beach parasailing accident

2009-08-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. | Two women who died in a parasail accident off Ocean Isle Beach Friday died of blunt trauma, not drowning, an N.C. medical examiner said this afternoon. Dr. William Kelly, regional pathologist for the N.C. Medical Examiner's office in Jacksonville, N.C., said the women may have died when they first hit the water, when they hit the parasail tow boat that was trying to rescue them or when their parasail became entangled in the Ocean Isle Beach pier. One of the women, Cynthia Woodcock, 60, of Kernersville, N.C., was to be memorialized at a service today in nearby High Point, N.C., and buried Wednesday in Lenoir, N.C., her hometown.

Police officer dies in single-vessel accident near Hammocks Beach

2009-08-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

A police officer from New York died in a single-vessel accident Saturday near Hammocks Beach.Officer Michael Nemes, 37, with the Southampton Town Police Department in New York was on vacation with his family in Onslow County, according to a press release from the Southampton Town Police Department.

Lone Survivor of Florida Boat Accident Opens Up

2009-08-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

Months after a fateful fishing trip that took the lives of three football-player friends, Nick Schuyler is ready to talk about his ordeal. Schuyler was the only survivor, found clinging to a capsized boat nearly 48 hours after the men set out on a fishing trip to the Gulf.

Boating Accidents Jacksonville Florida

2009-08-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

There has been a rash of boating accidents and water related deaths in Jacksonville lately.

Teen Drowns in Trout River; One Man Missing in Julington Creek

2009-08-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

A 16-year-old's body was pulled from the Trout River late Sunday night, ending the search for teen who fell into the water while fishing near Main Street. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has identified the teenager as Ladre McNeal of Jacksonville. Rescue crews have also called off a separate search for a man who fell off a small boat in Julington Creek. Police say that man is 29 year old Shane Wiggins of Jacksonville.The U.S. Coast Guard and Sheriff's Office rushed to the Trout River near Main Street around 4:30 Sunday afternoon after reports the teen fell in the water trying to retrieve a bait box near rocks and never surfaced. Dive teams found McNeal's body before 10 p.m. and said the drowning is still under investigation. Around 5 p.m. another possible drowning sent teams from the Coast Guard, Sheriff's Office, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue, Clay County Sheriff's Office and St. Johns County Sheriff's Office to Julington Creek near the St. Johns County line. Bujeda says a man and woman were fishing in a small boat when the man fell off the boat and never came up from the water.

Navigation For Dummies

2009-08-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

This article references a youtube video. Comment if you like on any navigational errors you think the zodiac operator made. Dwayne

One killed, 2 injured after boat strikes bridge - Jacksonville Florida Boating Accident Lawyers

2009-08-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

FREEPORT — Recovery teams discovered the body of a missing man in Choctawhatchee Bay on Monday evening, five hours after he and two others were ejected from a boat that struck the U.S. 331 bridge.The body of Freeport resident William Andrew Moraga, 71, was found at around 6:30 p.m. about 30 yards from the crash, which also injured two others onboard — a man and a 15-year-old girl. The man identified as 73-year-old Harry Lairy Jr., and the 15-year-old is Moraga's granddaughter, Angelica Morales, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Stan Kirkland.

Boat Owner Alleges Ethanol Damage In Lawsuit

2009-07-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

SEBRING - A Highlands County man has sued five of the nation's biggest oil companies, alleging one sold 10 percent ethanol fuel that damaged his boat's engine.Erick Kelecseny contacted the Fort Lauderdale personal injury law firm Kopelowitz Ostrow, who filed suit Aug. 12 in U.S. District Court. They allege that Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP America, Shell and ConocoPhillips know about the problems ethanol causes to causes boats, but continue to market blended gasoline to the marine industry. Kelecseny seeks punitive damages and class-action status to include all Florida boat owners whose vessels were damaged by the blended gas. According to an April 9 story carried on Dow Jones newswires, another federal class action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles has charged ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell and other oil companies are selling ethanol blended gasoline that damages marine fuel tanks, engines and other components.

Dixie Co. teacher Charles David Sheppard was killed in boating accident when struck by Ocalan's pontoon boat

2009-07-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Additional information was released Monday morning by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about the scalloping death of a popular Dixie County teacher on Friday afternoon. Charles David Sheppard FWC is the agency leading the investigation into Friday's death of Charles David Sheppard, 60, of Cross City. Sheppard was pronounced dead shortly after apparently being cut by the propellor of an outboard motor on a pontoon boat carrying six adults and six children from Ocala. An autopsy is expected to be performed today at the medical examiner's office in Jacksonville to determine the exact cause of Sheppard's death.

Fishing Vessel Yvonne Sinking - Off Jacksonville Florida

2009-07-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two people from a sinking fishing boat off the coast of Jacksonville early this morning. The 66-foot fishing boat Yvonne was about 3 miles offshore when the Coast Guard received a distress call about 2 a.m. from the vessel and launched a rescue boat from Mayport, officials said. The crew of a Good Samaritan vessel, the Shenandoah, also went to the scene of the sinking vessel and assisted the Coast Guard, officials said. A Coast Guard spokesman said the medical condition of the two people rescued apparently was not “of a serious nature” but they were to be evaluated by medical personnel.

Boating Accident Brunswick Georgia Leave 1 dead others injured

2009-07-13T05:44:00.000-07:00

BRUNSWICK, Ga. -- One person was killed and two others had to be rescued when a boat ran into the jetties on Jekyll Creek. Coast Guard officials said a 23-foot pleasure craft struck the rocks near where the creek meets the ocean south of Brunswick early Sunday morning. The names of those involved were not released pending notification of next of kin. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is investigating the cause of death. The Coast Guard received a mayday call from the boat at about 4:15 a.m. Sunday. A rescue boat crew from Coast Guard Station Brunswick crew found two people in the water, one of whom was later pronounced dead. A third boater who had been clinging to the damaged boat was rescued by a good Samaritan the accident.Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ferrin says JaxPort needs $1.4 billion for construction, dredging

2009-07-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

Call it the Better Jacksonville Port Plan. In a speech Thursday to the Propeller Club, Jacksonville Port Authority Executive Director Rick Ferrin said the port will need about $1.4 billion for construction and dredging between now and 2015 so it can climb into the top tier of ports on the East Coast.

Slow response to boating accident angers witness

2009-07-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

By JOHN BRANNON Messenger Staff Reporter Linda Jones of Union City expressed outrage about a perceived slow response by emergency agencies to a fatal boating accident on Kentucky Lake Thursday afternoon. “We desperately needed help. People were still in the water,” she said. A bass boat that Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency investigators estimate was traveling at least 40 miles per hour slammed into a pontoon boat about 5:50 p.m. Thursday. Fatality Killed in the accident was former Martin resident San-dra Renae Adams, 47, of Mur-freesboro. Mrs. Adams’ daughter, Megan, 16, was seriously injured and ultimately airlifted to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville for treatment. Her status at press time is undetermined. On the pontoon boat were seven members of the Adams family — Megan and Mrs. Adams; her husband, Jeffery; their son and daughter-in-law, names not available; and two boys, ages 11 and 9, names not available.

Boat bursts into flames; 2 hurt

2009-07-06T09:20:00.001-07:00

Two Georgia men were hospitalized Friday after their boat burst into flames on the Nassau River.Spokesman Frank Elkins of Nassau County Fire Rescue said the Brunswick, Ga., pair were piloting a 30-foot-long craft to Cocoa Beach when it caught fire shortly before noon near the Thomas Shave Bridge on Florida A1A. Elkins said witnesses estimated the flames shot up almost 10 feet high. Investigators haven't determined what ignited the blaze, and Elkins declined to identify the men. Both were taken to Shands Jacksonville. Elkins said one of the men was later transported to Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville and treated for burns. The other man was kept overnight at Shands Jacksonville for observation.

'Buckle up' when on a boat this Fourth of July weekend

2009-07-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Hulme uses a car analogy when encouraging boaters to wear a life preserver. "Do you put on your set belt right before an accident?" Hulme asks. "Mother Nature can be tough. It's always best to wear a life jacket." The Coast Guard, as well as Florida Fish and Wildlife, will be out in force this weekend patrolling the waterways as people celebrate the Fourth of July.

Coast Guard joins effort to crack down on drunken boaters in Keys

2009-06-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

KEY WEST - The Coast Guard will be teaming up with state and Monroe County officials in the Florida Keys to make sure boaters don't overdo it on the water this weekend. The effort is called Operation Dry Water, and it's designed to highlight the dangers of operating a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Boating under the influence is illegal in all 50 states and territories. Impaired boaters can expect fines and possible arrest.

Boat accident trial: Engineer describes how propeller gutted woman

2009-06-16T12:55:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: The Plaintiff lost this trial. See this news story.

NAPLES — A biomechanical engineer told a Collier Circuit jury on Monday that he couldn’t understand the boating industry’s reluctance to equip boats with an inexpensive propeller ring guard that would prevent injuries and save lives. Lawrence Thibault, who owns Biomechanics Inc., a Pennsylvania consulting firm that studies injury biomechanics, told jurors how lap seat belts prompted a series of changes that improved safety in the auto industry, leading to harness belts, padded dashboards, air bags, side air bags, curtain air bags, and other changes. “But there’s no movement in the marine industry to put an emphasis on safety,” Thibault testified during questioning by Kevin Liles of Texas, one of five attorneys representing 64-year-old Audrey Decker of East Naples, who lost her left eye, part of a breast, and suffered other serious injuries when she fell overboard in 1999 and was cut by her boat’s propeller.

Horizon Lines settles class action with $20m payment

2009-06-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

HORIZON Lines has agreed to pay $20m and freeze freight rates in its Puerto Rico trade lane for two years to settle a class action lawsuit brought by disgruntled customers. New York-listed Horizon Lines has also agreed to pay its lenders 1.5% higher interest and a one-off sum of $1.8m in consideration for being allowed to exclude this expenditure from calculations that determine its compliance with covenants

Leading boating danger on Intracoastal Waterway: careless boating

2009-06-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

PALM VALLEY- Careless boating is the leading infraction that boaters commit on the Palm Valley Intracoastal Waterway and it has sure taken its toll this year, a state official said this week. As of late May, three boating accidents have been reported on the waterway, compared to none as of this time last year, said Lt. Steve Zukowsky with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Coast Guard searches for Missing Teen on Cruise Ship - Bruce O'Krepki

2009-05-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

TAMPA - The Coast Guard searched the Gulf of Mexico by boat and from the air for a second day Tuesday for an 18-year-old from Louisiana who fell overboard during a cruise to celebrate his high school graduation. The Coast Guard said Bruce O'Krepki went over the rails of the Carnival Fantasy on Sunday night about 150 miles southwest of Tampa. A Coast Guard cutter and two aircraft searched for him Tuesday, Petty Officer Rob Simpson said. O'Krepki graduated with honors from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Hammond, La., where he ran track and played soccer. He was with about 30 classmates and members of their families on the ship. His uncle Rick O'Krepki said the teen's parents were among the chaperones.

Coast Guard: Be Safe on the Water for Memorial Day

2009-05-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The U.S. Coast Guard wants to remind everyone on the water to be safe this holiday weekend.In recent weeks, there have been several boat crashes in the area, most notably on Easter Sunday where five people died on the intracoastal. Also, this week's nor'easter has created the potential for dangerous rip currents and unpredictable water conditions. Boaters need to prepare accordingly