MIAMI — A South Florida family says their 11-year-old daughter’s life was forever changed after a boating crash. They’re now looking to hold a sailing club responsible.
Michelle Viteri, the girl’s mother, said it was the kind of call no parent ever wants to get.
“To get that call, it was just, you know, the worst day of my life for sure,” she said.
It was a serious boating accident that took place over the summer. The parents of Catherine Viteri say their daughter suffered traumatic injuries while attending camp at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club.
“It wasn’t just a physical injury but rather something pretty traumatic that, you know, she to this day has difficulty with,” said her father, Bolivar Viteri.
Bolivar and Michelle Viteri are suing the sailing club, along with three camp counselors, for negligence.
According to a $10 million lawsuit filed Monday, they and their attorney, Justin Shapiro with Leesfield and Partners, say that on July 10, Catherine was swimming in the water when “a 21-year-old camp counselor lost track of the number and location of his campers and literally ran over Catherine with the boat propeller. As a result, Catherine’s right leg is now permanently mutilated and dysfunctional.”
The photos of her injury are too graphic to show.
“Her leg was nearly amputated. This was a gruesome injury — so gory you couldn’t show it in a horror movie,” Shapiro said. “This is a guy who’s supposed to be protecting and supervising these children, and he runs Kate over. He nearly kills her and leaves her with these life-changing injuries.”
This accident happened 18 days before another crash on the water that killed three young girls from a youth sailing camp after a barge ran into their sailboat off Miami Beach. A 19-year-old camp counselor and two children survived that crash.
Shapiro is also representing two of the families from that tragedy. He and the Viteris say they’re seeking accountability so that this doesn’t happen to another child.
“Something has to change here, to bring attention to this very important matter,” Shapiro said.
“I trusted them, and so I just feel a little like I’ve been betrayed in that sense,” said Michelle Viteri.
Catherine is in the early stages of her healing process. Local 10 News reached out to the Coconut Grove Sailing Club and visited the location in person. At the moment, they said they have no comment on the lawsuit.
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