COCONUT GROVE, FLA. (WSVN) - The parents of an 11-year-old girl have filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, alleging negligence after their daughter was struck by a motorboat propeller during a summer camp session.
According to the complaint filed Monday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Bolivar and Michelle Viteri said their daughter, Catherine, was swimming as instructed during camp on July 10 when a counselor operating a motorboat ran over her, severely lacerating her right leg.
“The photographs of her leg are so gory you couldn’t show them in a horror movie,” said the Viteri family’s attorney Justin Shapiro of Leesfield & Partners. “The tissue, the nerves, the muscle, all of it was severed down to the bone.”
According to the FWC report, a contributor to the crash was listed as operator inattention and no proper lookout.
The lawsuit states that the counselor, identified as 21-year-old Myles Carter Holt, “lost track of the number and location of his campers” before driving the boat into the swimming area, where Catherine was in the water.
“It’s just unimaginable that you drop your child off at this camp and you put your trust in the camp to supervise and protect your child, and it’s the camp that runs her over with the motorboat,” said Shapiro. “The Coconut Grove Sailing Club failed this family.”
Her injuries were described as “gruesome and life-changing,” leaving her leg permanently mutilated and dysfunctional, according to the lawsuit.
Also named as defendants are counselors Aden Weinberg and Sara Ortiz Vey, who were supervising the swimming activity at the time, and the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, which the complaint accuses of negligent entrustment and inadequate training of its staff.
“These parents knew there were risks when you go out in the ocean, but they never would have imagined that the risk was the camp counselor,” said Shapiro.
The Viteri family is hoping their lawsuit leads to a safer camp for kids. They recounted getting the call when the crash occurred.
“I went from panic to absolute sadness,” said Bolivar. “Hopefully this, and other efforts, really bring a better awareness and ultimately change.”
“What do you mean a propeller hit her, it’s a sailing club, she’s at sail camp, where is the propeller from?” asked Michelle. “I was just, in like, total shock.”
The lawsuit alleges the camp failed to enforce safety protocols, adequately supervise children, and ensure boats did not enter designated swimming areas.
The accident that changed Catherine’s life was just 18 days before three children lost their lives during another sailing camp, when a boat collided with a barge.
Shapiro says he is representing the families in that case as well.
“We’re starting to see this kind of carelessness creep into, what should be, the safest types of boating activities, and that would be summer camps and children’s programs,” said Shapiro. “And it has to stop to make sure this never happens to any other child.”
The Viteris are seeking damages exceeding $10 million for their daughter’s catastrophic injuries, medical expenses, and emotional suffering.
The Coconut Grove Sailing Club had no response for 7News’ request for comment.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.