NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - Jurors in the trial of real estate developer George Pino examined the boat he was operating during the fatal 2022 boating accident that took the life of a teenage girl.
Those jurors arrived at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s facility in North Miami at around 11 a.m. on Thursday and assessed the damages on the vessel as evidence.
The boat could be seen with heavy damage to the right side of the hull.
And now that vessel is evidence against Pino, who’s accused of causing the death of 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez and forever changing the life of Katie Puig.
Prosecutors said Pino was going the wrong way and plowed into a channel marker near Boca Chita Key on Labor Day weekend of 2022.
Thursday was the first time jurors saw the boat up close as part of day four in the real estate mogul’s trial.
Jurors looked at the boat for about 40 minutes. Once finished, they were transported back to courthouse for testimony to continue.
Wednesday, body camera video of the desperate attempt to save Fernandez’s life after the crash was shown in court as Fernandez’s family watched. The victim’s loved ones wept as jurors viewed the footage.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Peter Delgado described the chaos when he arrived at the crash.
“Extremely difficult,” said Delgado.
Delgado testified that he transported the 17-year-old from a Good Samaritan’s boat back to the harbor, where she was airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital.
“We made the decision that we need to go back and help the other patients,” he said.
Pino’s wife also took the stand.
“And she died because your husband crashed into that channel marker, right?” asked a prosecutor.
“She died because there was an accident,” said Pino’s wife.
She testified that she only had one or two drinks at the sandbar, and Pino’s defense team have insisted their client was not impaired.
Testimony is set to continue Thursday afternoon.
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