Boat crash in Florida Keys kills Hialeah woman and injures several others, FWC says

Milena Malaver, David Goodhue
·2 min read

A Hialeah woman was killed and several others were injured after a boat crashed off Key West on Thursday, officials say.

The 39-foot Deep Impact, four-engine boat was traveling through the Calda Channel north of Key West when the operator — 47-year-old Reinaldo Aquit, from Miami Beach — made a hard right turn, causing six of the passengers to be ejected, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Several of the passengers were injured and taken to area hospitals.

Stephanie Rodriguez, 28, died from her injuries, said FWC spokeswoman Arielle Callender.

Details on Aquit’s injuries were not immediately available. Callender said the FWC is investigating the circumstances leading to the crash.

According to emergency-dispatch calls, the injured were brought it to Conch Harbor Marina, located on Caroline Street on the northern portion of the island, by several boaters who either witnessed the crash or its immediate aftermath.

One of the patients, a woman, had a compound fracture to her leg, according to the dispatch calls. Boaters performed CPR on some of the other injured people.

Cody Alhorn, assistant dockmaster at the marina, told the Miami Herald that one boat brought the woman to shore and another carried other patients while passengers gave them chest compressions.

“We were just the marina they pulled up to, and we called 911,” Alhorn said. “They weren’t scheduled to come here.”

According to the racing-boat news website Speed on the Water, Aquit is a member of the Florida Powerboat Club and was taking part in a 120-boat “poker run” from Miami to Key West this week to celebrate the Race World Offshore World Championship speedboat races.

In poker runs, boaters make several stops along the way and pick up poker chips before reaching their destinations. Poker runs are also popular among motorcycle enthusiasts.

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