(MIAMI) — The U.S. Coast Guard has referred a case to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for possible criminal prosecution following the fatal collision in July involving a barge and a sailing vessel, the Coast Guard and NBC6 South Florida reported. Three people on the sailboat were killed.
The collision near Hibiscus Island on July 28 involved a construction barge being pushed by the uninspected towing vessel Wood Chuck and a vessel carrying girls attending a sailing camp. The Coast Guard said the case was being referred for seaman’s manslaughter involving the towing company.
“After conducting a thorough marine casualty investigation, we’ve referred this case to Department of Justice for criminal investigation to ensure full accountability and help deter similar cases in the future,” Coast Guard Sector Miami Cmdr. Capt. Frank Florio said in a prepared statement. “As the process moves into this new phase, our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this tragic incident.”
A lawsuit filed in August on behalf of a 9-year-old girl who survived the incident claimed Waterfront Construction Inc., the barge’s owner, along with the Miami Yacht Club and Youth Sailing Foundation, were “careless, reckless and negligent” and failed to take “adequate measures” to avoid the collision.
Lorenzo Palomares, an attorney who represents Waterfront Construction, previously said the barge and towboat were on their way back from tearing down a seawall on Star Island when the incident happened.
