13 hurt when charter boats collide near Miami port

First responders from several agencies treated several patients after two charter speed boats collided

February 13, 2024 09:37 AM

By Devoun Cetoute, David Goodhue, Omar Rodriguez Ortiz
Miami Herald

MIAMI — A collision between two charter tour boats Sunday afternoon near PortMiami sent more than a dozen people to the hospital, according to fire-rescue officials.

Around 3:15 p.m., Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to a boat crash near Fisherman’s Channel.

Over 30 units, including a helicopter, helped the injured. In addition to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the Coast Guard, Miami Fire Rescue and Florida Fish and Wildlife police also were on the scene.

While 13 people were taken to the hospital, an unknown number of other people were treated near the crash site and released.

Officials have not said what caused the crash, which is being investigated by both the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Ryan Estrada .

According to the Coast Guard, the two boats involved were the Thriller 06 and the Obelix. It’s not clear how many people were on each vessel when they collided.

The Thriller 06 is a 55-foot speed boat that operates out of Bayside Marketplace. It can hold up to 36 passengers, according to the company’s website. Thriller Miami Speedboat Tours, the company that owns the boat, did not immediately respond to telephone and emailed requests for comment.

The Obelix is a 43-foot Midnight Express luxury center console boat powered by five engines, according to the owner’s — Midnight Sun Boat Charters — website. The company began operations in 2014 with day charters in the U.S. Virgin Islands and has since expanded to Miami, according to its website.

Steve Jakab, owner of Midnight Sun Boat Charters, declined to comment on the crash when reached by the Miami Herald on Monday morning.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue would not confirm what hospital the victims were taken to. Lidia Amoretti, a spokeswoman for Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, said eight people from the crash were taken there, two in the medical center’s trauma unit.