Current:Home > InvestAirboats collide in Florida, injuring 13 who were on Everglades tours -Wealth Nexus Pro
Airboats collide in Florida, injuring 13 who were on Everglades tours
View
Date:2025-04-13 00:18:44
Two airboats collided with each other on a lake in Florida, injuring 13 people.
The airboats crashed into one another on Monday at Wild Florida, a nature park that offers gator encounters, a safari and Everglade airboat tours. The park is in Kenansville on Lake Cypress, just south of Orlando.
The cause of the crash is not yet known, and the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit will be leading the investigation. Wild Florida has suspended all airboat activities until further notice in response to the incident.
Here’s what else we know so far:
When did the airboat crash occur?
The crash happened around 12:15 p.m. Monday.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Osceola County Sheriff's Office first responded to the scene of the incident. The U.S. Coast Guard investigators arrived on the scene shortly after.
How many people were on the airboats?
According to the Coast Guard, approximately 30 people were involved in the incident, including 28 passengers and two captains.
It's unclear how many people were on each individual boat.
What is known about their injuries?
The extent of the injuries suffered by the 13 people are unknown, though the Coast Guard said there were no life-threatening injuries.
WFTV-TV in Orlando reported that two people were flown to HCA Florida Osceola Hospital and six people were taken there by ambulance. Three people were taken by ambulance to St. Cloud Hospital and 17 people declined treatment.
Four people were taken to an Orlando Health facility and have already been released, WOFL-TV reported.
Crash:'Craziest experience of my life:' Pilot survives crash in waters off Florida Keys
Cold case:Miami police begin pulling cars submerged from a Doral lake. Here's what they found so far.
What is Wild Florida?
Wild Florida is a nature park on Lake Cypress south of Orlando and offers airboat tours, a safari drive-thru and animal encounters, its website says.
Wild Florida is on a mission to "provide an unforgettable Everglades experience that promotes a connection with animals while inspiring education and conservation," according to its website.
What has Wild Florida said about the incident?
The Wild Florida team took to Facebook to apologize to all visitors involved and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.
"We are cooperating fully with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other state and local authorities as they conduct an official investigation of the incident," the Facebook post said. "We are also conducting our own internal investigation to determine the cause of the incident. Wild Florida prides itself on not just having U.S. Coast Guard-approved airboats but also hiring licensed Master Captains who elevate our safety protocols."
veryGood! (57893)
Related
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Poet Maggie Smith talks going viral and being confused with that OTHER Maggie Smith
- Opera singer David Daniels pleads guilty in sexual assault trial
- A deadline has arrived for Niger’s junta to reinstate the president. Residents brace for what’s next
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Poet Maggie Smith talks going viral and being confused with that OTHER Maggie Smith
- Maine woman, 87, fights off home invader, then feeds him in her kitchen
- Oregon extends crab fishing restrictions to protect whales from getting caught in trap ropes
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Somalia suspends athletics chief after video of slow runner goes viral, amid accusations of nepotism
Ranking
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- 7 critically injured in school bus crash that closes major highway in Idaho
- Riley Keough Officially Becomes New Owner of Graceland and Sole Heir of Lisa Marie Presley’s Estate
- The FDA approves the first pill specifically intended to treat postpartum depression
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- The Mississippi River's floodplain forests are dying. The race is on to bring them back.
- A judge has ruled Texas’ abortion ban is too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications
- Taylor Swift hugs Kobe Bryant's daughter Bianka during Eras Tour concert
Recommendation
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
On a ‘Toxic Tour’ of Curtis Bay in South Baltimore, Visiting Academics and Activists See a Hidden Part of the City
Scouting body asks South Korea to cut World Scout Jamboree short amid heat wave
Deion Sanders makes sly remark about Oregon, college football realignment
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
‘Cuddling’: Just what the doctor ordered for rescued walrus calf in Alaska
USA vs. Sweden: Time, odds, how to watch and live stream 2023 World Cup Round of 16
Opera singer David Daniels pleads guilty in sexual assault trial