FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Seven people were hospitalized Sunday night after a 36-foot boat struck a barge off Bowditch Point Beach, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
FWC said the vessel was carrying seven people, including a juvenile, when it hit the barge around 9:30 p.m. Two people sustained minor injuries. The other five, including the child, were taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on the crash:
The U.S. Coast Guard and Lee County EMS also responded to the crash. FWC is the lead agency investigating the incident.
"We commend our crews for a swift response with seamless coordination with local EMS ensuring that all boaters involved received timely care,” said Cmdr. Fredrick Pugh, a Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg search and rescue mission coordinator. “Coast Guard investigative officers and FWC are working to determine the cause of the allision and verify the details leading up to the incident.”
Beachgoers on Monday said they were surprised by the collision, noting that the barge is visible from shore.
“Unfortunately I saw that a lot of people were hurt — so hopefully they’re okay. I don’t know how fast they were going but they must have been moving at a pretty good clip if all those people got injured,” said Geoffrey Skoog, who lives nearby.
Skoog said from the beach, the barge is hard to miss.
“Sometimes my wife says I miss the odd obvious, but I think that would be tough to miss. That’s a big object out there,” he said.
FWC said the investigation is ongoing. Officials have not said what caused the crash.
ORIGINAL REPORTING:
UPDATE 11:40AM:
The FWC reports that those with serious injuries include one juvenile.
UPDATE 8AM:
FWC confirms this Sunday crash involved a 36-foot boat, with seven people on board. They said it was traveling just outside of Bowditch Point when it struck the barge. FWC said two people have minor injuries, while the other five had more serious injuries.
ORIGINAL 7AM:
Seven people were hospitalized with traumatic injuries after their boat struck a stationary barge off the north end of Fort Myers Beach on Sunday, according to the Fort Myers Beach Fire Department.
Crews said units from multiple agencies responded to the boating accident, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission and Lee County EMS.
"A boat underway struck a stationary barge causing multiple injuries to the occupants on board," the fire department said.
All patients were rescued from the boat and sent to Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach, where they received treatment before being transported to the hospital by Fort Myers Beach Fire and Lee County EMS units, crews said.
The U.S. Coast Guard and FWC have taken over the investigation into the crash.
