Miami Beach commission urges study after fatal boat crash

Officials ask Coast Guard to research whether new safety measures are needed

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The Miami Beach City Commission plans to urge the U.S. Coast Guard to research safety improvements for the Government Cut jetty after three people were killed in a boat crash over the weekend.

The commission unanimously passed the resolution on Wednesday. Some boaters have called for lights and warning signs to be installed along the jetty.

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It's the second time in three years that the city has asked the Coast Guard to study the jetty. A similar study was conducted after Marlins star Jose Fernandez and two others were killed in a boat crash in 2016. After completing that study, the Coast Guard determined that no additional safety measures were needed, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said.

"Something must be done. Six lives have been lost in less than three years in the same area," Gelber said.

Late Saturday, a small boat carrying four people crashed into the rocks and flipped over during high tide. Christopher Colgan, 56, and his wife, Elisaine Colgan, 39, of Lighthouse Point, were found dead while Troy Forte, 37, of Juno Beach, was rushed to a local hospital.

The body of the fourth passenger -- 28-year-old Jennifer Cadavid, of Fort Lauderdale -- washed ashore on Monday morning. Authorities are still trying to determine the cause of the crash.

In the Fernandez case, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission determined that speed, alcohol and drugs were factors in the crash.


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