MIAMI – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating a boating accident that killed one woman and sent two others to the hospital Saturday night.
The crash happened shortly after 10 p.m. near the Matheson Hammock Park and Marina at 9610 Old Cutler Road. The Coast Guard, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and Coral Gables Fire Rescue all assisted with the call.
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Jorge Pino, a spokesperson for FWC, told Local 10 News a larger vessel was traveling northbound on the intercostal waterway when it collided with a smaller vessel that was heading south in the water about a mile from Matheson Hammock Marina.
The Coast Guard said the two vessels involved were a 68-foot motor yacht and a 27-foot pleasure craft. The collision caused the smaller boat to capsize, sending its occupants into the water and injuring all three.
FWC told Local 10 CPR was conducted on the worst of the victims, 29-year-old Maria del Valle, who was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital. She was confirmed dead just after midnight.
The two others who were injured were Maykel Perdomo, 33, who is reported to be in stable condition, and Dayron Baralt, 23, who is said to be in critical condition.
FWC officers brought a man identified as the driver of the larger vessel, believed to be responsible for the collision, to the marina where a sobriety test and blood draw were performed. Coral Gables Fire Rescue took blood to test for a blood-alcohol level.
The smaller vessel was towed into Matheson Hammock Marina early Sunday morning. The larger vessel will remain anchored at the location of the crash and treated as a crime scene.
The cause of the crash is still undetermined and under investigation. The identities of those involved have not been released.