RedactedNarrative: On May 6, 2016 at approximately 11:14 AM, Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) Dispatch Center was notified that a boating accident involving serious bodily injuries had occurred in the vicinity of Aventura, FL. According to the complaint, a personal watercraft (PWC) with two individuals on board impacted a moored vessel in a canal south of the William Lehman Causeway, sending both occupants to the water. One of the individuals, a four year old child named Injured1 (DOB: xxxxxx), received facial injuries during the accident. Operator1 (DOB: xxxxxx) was able to rescue the child with the assistance of two individuals and swam to a seawall. 
  
  He also stated that he and Injured1’s father replaced the PWC battery the day before and decided to test it on May 6, 2016. He explained that after operating the PWC for a short period of time Injured1’s father asked him to take his son for a ride. Operator1 sat the child in front of him while both were wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) and the PWC lanyard was attached to his PFD as required by law. As he was turning, the accelerator got stuck and the PWC made impact with a nearby vessel, without giving him enough time to react. He attempted to help the child by lowering his head. 
  
  Witness1 is a marine surveyor who was in the area at the time of the accident. He stated that he was working on a vessel adjacent to where the PWC originated. He observed two Hispanic males launched the PWC from a vessel. One of the individuals got underway on the PWC and was operating it on plane inside the channel, casting a large wake. At some point, the operator stopped and helped onboard a “young Latin male and proceeded to take him for a ride on plane up and down the canal.” Witness1 explained that he attempted to get the operator’s attention to instruct him to slow down. He observed the PWC making turns until about 10 seconds before impact. Then, “the father started screaming and ran west down the dock.” The written statements indicated that “no sound was heard from the riders – specifically from the child for about 30-120 seconds.” Until the child eventually began to cry. A witness on the dock jumped in and relocated the child to the north side of the dock with the assistance of several witnesses. Witness1 believes that the operator comments in reference to a faulty throttle are baseless. 
  ; Injured1 :As a result of a collision with another vessel, the child, who was located forward of the operator suffered facial injuries. The child has lost significant vision of the left eye.
  