Family pushes for "Lucy's Law" after teen's fatal boating accident
MIAMI - A South Florida man is determined to ensure his 17-year-old daughter's tragic death in a 2022 boating accident on Biscayne Bay was not in vain.
Lucy was killed when the boat she and 13 others were on crashed into a channel marker during Labor Day weekend 2022.
Andy Fernandez is pushing for modernized boating laws in Florida, saying the current regulations haven't kept pace with the increasing dangers on the water.
"The ultimate goal," Fernandez said, "is to make the water a safer environment. Right now the water is dangerous. The boats are bigger, the boats are faster. There's a lot of distractions out there."
Miami real estate broker George Pino is charged with vessel homicide in connection with the crash.
Advocating for change
Now, the Fernandez family wants change. "We quickly discovered that enhancing boating and watercraft safety was really our calling," Fernandez said.
Newly introduced legislation, known as "Lucy's Law," is making its way through the Florida legislature. The bill would expand boating safety education and increase penalties for reckless boating, boating under the influence, and accidents resulting in death.
"We believe it's logical, it's common sense, that anybody that's going to operate a vessel, a boat, has to obtain a basic level of understanding prior to going out on the water," Fernandez said.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), 59 people died in boating accidents in Florida in 2023. The Fernandez family hopes their efforts will prevent future tragedies.
"Our goal is that we want to prevent another family from standing in our shoes because this has been horrible, this has been tragic, and we are trying to make something positive out of this horrific situation," he said.
Click here to read Lucy's Law and learn more about the Lucy Fernandez Foundation. For additional information, click here.
