MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Two people were injured Friday after a boat struck a marker in the water off Miami Shores, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Lorenzo Veloz said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the boat hit a piling in the water injuring the two about 2:30 a.m. One person was taken via helicopter to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, while the other was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
Veloz said the man suffered a broken jaw and the woman was treated for other injuries and has been released.
Fire Rescue said they were able to find the victims with the help of fellow boaters. Andrew Sweisberger said he got a call from an officer he knows saying there was a boat in distress.
"We were coming in but we wanted to help the boat out so we hauled butt to 102nd and started surrounding (the area) and we found the boat," Sweisberger said. "We found it pretty quick. The choppers were pretty far from where we were. We signaled them over with the flashlight."
After being injured, witnesses said the two were not in control of the boat. The good Samaritans were able to hook the boat and keep it from drifting away.
Sweisberger said his friend who was on the boat with him is a nursing student so he jumped onboard the other boat and helped the people who were injured.
The FWC is investigating the crash and said it's unclear whether the incident was operator error or whether alcohol played a role.