Boca Chita Key boat crash over the weekend was fatal for a girl and several were injured, U.S. Coast Guard received the call about the crash 20 minutes later

Officials with the United States Coast Guard are releasing fresh information regarding their response to a boat accident that occurred over the weekend close to Boca Chita Key. The accident resulted in the death of a teenage girl and injured numerous others.

At approximately 6:30 in the evening, a boat measuring 29 feet in length and carrying a total of 14 persons collided with a channel marker located in the Intracoastal waterway close to the southern tip of Cutter Bank in Miami-Dade County. According to a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the event took place on Sunday.

On the other hand, officials from the Coast Guard stated on Thursday that their crew received a report about the collision around 6:50 p.m., which is approximately 20 minutes after the initial call.

The original need for assistance was made, according to the authorities, not via a marine VHF radio but rather a cell phone.

According to Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Estrada, “Cell phones may be incredibly unreliable, especially depending on where you are on the water; you may not have reception, and the battery could expire.”

An inquiry into a crash that occurred on Labor Day and resulted in the death of a teen and other injuries is focusing on a vessel that sustained damage. NBC 6’s Laura Rodriguez reports

According to the timetable compiled by the Coast Guard, good Samaritans were the first to respond to the emergency and assist the 14 people who had been thrown overboard from the boat.

David Sands, a witness, saw the response and watched as Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported a critically injured kid to a nearby hospital. At the same time, Miami-Dade Marine Patrol was helping others who were injured.

According to Sands, “I was approximately 20 feet away, and there were two girls resting on the back deck there, and he was like checking to see if they had a pulse or anything like that.”

A senior at Lourdes Academy named Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, 17 years old, was a passenger on the boat when it crashed, and she later passed away as a result of the injuries she incurred in the accident.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is looking into the collision, and their preliminary findings indicate that they do not believe alcohol played a role in causing it.