Florida teenager killed in boating crash near Miami; 10 others injured

A 17-year-old girl died Monday after a boat with 14 passengers crashed and capsized Sunday about 16 miles off the coast of Miami.

Eleven people were injured, four critically, in the boating accident around 7 p.m. Sunday when the boat hit a channel marker near Boca Chita Key and capsized, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in a statement to USA TODAY. 

The boat involved in the crash was a 28-foot Robalo center console, according to the Miami Herald. Boca Chita Key is located within Biscayne National Park offshore of Miami-Dade County.

Lucy Fernandez, a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, died Monday from injuries sustained in the accident, school officials said on social media. Hundreds gathered Monday at the all-girls Catholic high school for a prayer vigil, the school said.

“Known for her smile, larger than life personality and signature laugh, Lucy was a joy to all who knew her,” officials said in a Facebook post. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to Lucy’s parents and younger brother, as well as her family and friends, and we share in their grief during this time of great loss.”

Two other Lourdes students and a student at the nearby Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart were also seriously injured in the crash, the Herald reported. That school also held a rosary Monday for the victims.

Police arrived first and pulled injured people from the water before some were airlifted to a hospital in Miami, said Capt. Juan Garrandes in a video statement provided by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Fire rescue units brought the rest of the passengers to shore, he said. 

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also sent units to the scene, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in a statement. 

Contributing: The Associated Press

Contact Breaking News Reporter N’dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg