The lawyer for the boat driver who crashed into a ship off the coast of Clearwater, Florida, on Sunday, killing one and hurting ten others, says that his client did not leave the scene of the accident. The family of the victim is now demanding answers about the investigation, which has not yet led to any arrests.
A recreational boat hit the ferry near a bridge that connects Clearwater to Clearwater Beach at 8:40 p.m. local time on Sunday evening as it was taking dozens of people from a famous sand and shape competition.
At first, Clearwater police said on X that the boat’s driver had “fled the scene.” However, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says there is proof that the boat did stay at the scene for a while.
A lawyer for the boat’s driver, Jeff Knight, denied claims that it was a hit-and-run in a letter to detectives that was shared with CNN on Tuesday. The lawyer also said that the ferry did not have enough lights on at the time of the crash.
A lawyer named Kevin Hayslett said that Knight told a passenger to call 911. He said that the person stayed on the phone with a 911 operator for almost 12 minutes while the driver stayed at the scene.
“During this time, the caller gave updates and emergency instructions, such as telling Mr. Knight to tell everyone on the ferry to put on a life jacket right away,” the letter says. Knight “tied his vessel to the ferry” to keep it stable and used his boat to “maneuver the ferry closer to shore” so that emergency workers could get to the people on board more quickly.
Knight told the captain of the ferry boat that he could take people to the hospital, but the offer was turned down, according to the lawyer.
Soon after, though, Knight saw that his boat had taken on “a large amount of water,” and he was afraid that it might sink.
The letter said, “Mr. Knight couldn’t leave until Clearwater Police officers were in the water and ambulances had arrived so that his boat wouldn’t sink with an infant on board.”
The lawyer’s letter lists several witnesses who, according to the letter, separately back up Knight’s story. One of these is a ferry crew member who told local media on camera that the boat “lingered at the scene and rendered aid.” The report also said that the ferry ship’s captain “publicly affirmed” that Knight “played a key role in providing assistance and remained on the scene until the right emergency support had arrived.”
A city web camera caught video of the boat hitting the back of the ship. The boat stayed in the area for a while before leaving the scene of the accident.
CNN asked Clearwater police and the city of Clearwater, as well as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Coast Guard, which are both looking into the crash, for their thoughts. A spokesperson for the FWC said on Wednesday that the commission did not have any more information to share because the probe was still going on.
No one has been named or charged yet.
On the night of the accident, Clearwater police said the boat hit the ship, which had about 45 people on board, and then “fled the scene.” Rob Shaw from the city of Clearwater said that when police came, they found a “chaotic scene” and that “good Samaritans” used their own boats to help people get out of the building.
Monday, Florida Fish and Wildlife Captain Matthew Dallarosa said that the boat did stay at the scene of the accident for “a period of time.” He also said that agents were working with prosecutors to figure out if the crash was a hit-and-run and if charges would be brought.
FWC spokeswoman Hailee Seely said the man who died was 41-year-old Jose Castro from Palm Harbor, which is just a few miles north of Clearwater.
On Tuesday, the FWC recognized the boat’s driver and confirmed that he had taken a Breathalyzer test on the night of the crash, which showed that he was not drunk.
“The captain volunteered to take a breathalyzer test, and the results showed that he was not drunk.” “The certified breath test that was given to the intoxilyzer showed that it read zero, zero, zero,” said Matthew Dallarosa of the FWC.