MIAMI (WSVN) - A victim who was injured after a tour boat crashed in PortMiami is speaking out. The crash also left dozens of others injured.
“We were on the speedboat with my parents,” said Mendy, a passenger on the boat.
“Who was on the boat,” the reporter asked.
“Me, him, him,” said Mendy’s younger sibling.
The man said his family of six boarded the Thriller tour boat at Downtown Miami’s Bayside on Sunday. They sat down on the back right side of the boat, expecting a family joyride, but that expectation was short-lived.
“Probably about five minutes in, we started the actual speeding part. Next thing I knew, all of a sudden, there was a big impact,” said Mendy.
He said a private vessel crashed into the left side of the speedboat while they were riding through Fisherman’s Cut.
New video of the vessel captured on Monday morning showed the side broken in with its chairs out of place from the impact.
“I saw a bunch of people on the left side of the boat just flying out of their seats,” he said. “One woman, she landed right by my feet and she was unconscious, bleeding from her head. I was able to hear the blood in her lungs as she was breathing.”
Mendy told 7News that the woman was airlifted to Jackson Memorial. The rest were transported by U.S. Coast Guard boats or by speedboat to be taken to the shore.
On Monday, his family walked out of Jackson Memorial, hours after the crash.
“Some fractured bones but nothing that time can’t heal with,” said Mendy.
The victim said he’s not from South Florida and was only in town for his cousin’s Bar Mitzvah.
The victim’s parents are still recovering from non-serious injuries at Jackson Memorial.
Rabbi Yossi Harlig, Mendy’s uncle, spoke to 7News after he visited his sister and family in the hospital on Monday.
“It sent shockwaves through our family,” said Harlig
Mendy said he has no resentment for anyone involved in this incident because he calls it purely, a terrible accident.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are still investigating. Although their investigation is ongoing, FWC announced on Monday that they will be releasing an initial report later in the day.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.