Boating Accident

Published on: December 9, 2025

Coast Guard ends Search for Missing Diver in the Florida Keys. What to Know.

The search for a diver reported missing over the weekend was suspended Sunday, pending further information, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Ellen Ruth Domb, 79, of North Palm Beach, was reported missing following a dive Friday morning at the USNS Hoyt S. Vanderberg wreck off of Key West. In an online statement from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, officials said that Domb was separated from her dive buddy within minutes of entering the water. There were strong currents that day, according to the statement.

The 150-to-200-foot dive is a popular one, attracting thousands of divers annually. It is the second largest shipwreck in the world. The former missile tracking ship was intentionally sunk nearly seven miles south of Key West in 2009 to be used as an artificial reef, according to the Miami Herald.

Published on: December 9, 2025

Three Dead After Vessel Capsizes Over the Weekend in Cape Coral. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least three people died over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend after a boat capsized on the Caloosahatchee River, according to reporting from News-Press.

At least one other person involved in the accident remained in “critical but stable condition” as of Monday morning.

The incident happened around 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, near the Cape Coral Yacht Club and involved an MTI 390 powerboat that flipped while carrying at least four people onboard. All four were sent into the water.

Published on: November 24, 2025

Two Injured in Florida Keys Boat Crash. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least two people were injured over the weekend when the boat they were on hit a channel marker in the Florida Keys, according to reporting from ABC Channel 7 News.

The incident happened Sunday, Nov. 16, when the boat hit the 74A channel marker in Cowpens Cut, west of Plantation Key, the U.S. Coast Guard said in an online statement. The marker was missing from the structure immediately following this incident.

Both people aboard the vessel were rescued by a nearby Good Samaritan and were taken to the hospital.

Published on: November 14, 2025

Florida Keys Shark Attack Shocks Swimmers — But Locals Know the Bigger Danger Isn’t What You May Think

By Leesfield & Partners

A man was attacked by a shark on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the northern Florida Keys and told local media he was bitten nearly a dozen times.

Yosvany Echevarria, 46, of Hialeah, said he was attacked in Biscayne Bay while snorkeling off Boca Chita Key with friends. The incident, CBS News Miami reported, happened before 11:30 a.m. when a shark “suddenly lunged” at Echevarria. While speaking with reporters, Echevarria said he was bitten between seven and eight times on his hand and arm.

Luckily, he said, the group was close to shore and was able to quickly call for help. Emergency responders took him to Jackson South Medical Center where he received 27 stitches in total to repair the damage.

Published on: November 5, 2025

Florida Keys Shark Attack Shocks Swimmers — But Locals Know the Bigger Danger Isn’t What You May Think

By Leesfield & Partners

A man was attacked by a shark on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the northern Florida Keys and told local media he was bitten nearly a dozen times.

Yosvany Echevarria, 46, of Hialeah, said he was attacked in Biscayne Bay while snorkeling off Boca Chita Key with friends. The incident, CBS News Miami reported, happened before 11:30 a.m. when a shark “suddenly lunged” at Echevarria. While speaking with reporters, Echevarria said he was bitten between seven and eight times on his hand and arm.

Luckily, he said, the group was close to shore and was able to quickly call for help. Emergency responders took him to Jackson South Medical Center where he received 27 stitches in total to repair the damage.

Published on: September 25, 2025

Community Honors Boy, 17, Who Died in Florida Keys Diving Accident. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Community members and their local fire department gathered over the weekend to honor a 17-year-old, who had dreamed of becoming a firefighter, after his diving death in the Florida Keys.

Cameron Ruwe died while on a family trip off Grassy Key on Saturday, Sept. 13, just a week shy of his birthday, according to reporting from NBC 6 South Florida. He had been using a hookah rig, a surface-supplied air system, while he went underwater. He was given CPR before emergency responders took him to Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon, Florida, where he was pronounced dead.

His stepmother, Katherine Zaensi, said Cameron was rarely seen without a smile and that he “never, ever, ever had a bad day.”

Published on: September 25, 2025

Broward County Teen Dies in Florida Keys Diving Accident. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

A 17-year-old teenager died over the weekend while diving using a hookah rig in the Florida Keys, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.

The boy, later identified as Cameron Isaiah Ruwe, was diving with several others on Saturday using a hookah rig — a type of diving that uses a surface-based compressor to deliver air through a hose. The group and their vessel were near Grassy Key around 1:30 p.m. when Cameron attempted to swim back to his boat and “went underwater,” according to local media.

The people who were with him attempted to perform CPR before emergency responders arrived. He was taken to Fisherman’s Community Hospital in Marathon where he was pronounced dead.

Published on: September 25, 2025

Child on the mend after shark bite in the Florida Keys. There’s another hazard in the area you’re more likely to face.

By Leesfield & Partners

The family of an 8-year-old boy from Pinecrest, Florida, who was attacked by a shark while snorkeling near Key Largo said he is getting stronger each day.

The boy, identified as Richard Burrows, was snorkeling with his father, David, and 10-year-old sister, Rose, around 3:24 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 1. when he was bitten by a blacktip shark, according to reporting from national media.

A Good Samaritan helped Burrows apply a tourniquet to Richard’s right leg while they waited for emergency responders. He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where he underwent surgery.

Published on: September 18, 2025

Man Drowns After Florida Boating Incident. Here’s What You Should Know About Boating Safety.

By Leesfield & Partners

A man tragically drowned Sunday while fishing with at least one other person on lake Damon in Avon Park, about 75 miles south from Orlando.

Chase Winton Parrish, 29, was identified as the fisherman who died, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. Parrish was with one other man, whose identity has not been released, when they both fell into the water from their 13-foot boat. Parrish struggled in the water and the other man attempted to help him, but could not and swam back to the boat to call 911.

When emergency responders arrived, they found Parrish unresponsive in the water and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Published on: September 2, 2025

One Dead After Ocean Testing of Vessel Goes Awry. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

At least one person has died in Pinellas County after a sea trial resulted in a crash, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies were called out around 2:35 p.m. to the area of 9600 Bay Pines Boulevard after getting reports of the crash. The boat allegedly crashed into Stebbins Island and ejected its operator, 56-year-old Pal Pataki, of Clearwater, Florida.

Pataki was pronounced dead at the scene.