Over a dozen people injured after 2 boats collide near PortMiami
MIAMI — Authorities were investigating what led to a crash between two boats Sunday afternoon that led to over a dozen people being hurt near PortMiami.
On Monday, CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench spoke with two of the people who were on the boat and who say they were fortunately not injured.
With permission from his mother, CBS News Miami spoke with one youngster who recalled what happened. The child said, "I heard a bang and I saw a bunch of people on the floor."
His mother, who did not want to be identified, said "It was scary. I saw a number of people falling down on the boat."
Outside Jackson Memorial Hospital, we also spoke with Rabbi Yossi Harlig of the Chabad of Kendall who said his sister and brother-in-law were on the tour boat along with their four children. He said the children were not injured but his sister was beaten and treated at the hospital with a fractured shoulder and pelvis and his brother-in-law had some broken ribs. He said they had come to South Florida from California for his son's bar mitzvah.
He said "My sister was turning around and there was the crash in the last second and she saw it crash into it where she was sitting. She feels thankful. The boat could have tipped over. None of them were wearing life jackets. Something terrible could have happened. I hope they make a full recovery. It just goes to show you how things can change in a second."
Around 3:15 p.m., over 30 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel, including two fireboats and an air rescue unit — alongside the City of Miami Fire, the Florida Wildlife Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard — responded to reports of a boat collision in Fisherman's Channel near Dodge Island.
According to the Coast Guard, the two watercraft involved were a tour boat and a recreation vessel.
According to MDFR, the response was upgraded due to the number of people involved and the need for additional manpower.
MDFR told CBS News Miami that a total of 13 people were transported by responding agencies to a local hospital, while other patients on the scene were evaluated and released.
