RedactedNarrative: Boating accident report reference two person PWC accident / double fatality.  Accident location at One (1) Bridge Road, Miami Beach, FL. 33139 - Bridge Road is the Causeway to Star Island, Miami Beach, FL. 33139
  
  At 1717 hrs. on 08/21/2017 a 911 call was received in FWC dispatch reference a Personal Watercraft accident that had occurred at the location stated above.  The reporting party (Star Island Security Guard) reported two persons in the water on the west side of the causeway and both appeared unconscious. Miami Beach marine patrol advised they were in route and arrived first on scene at 1723.  The two victims, Operator and Occupant were pulled from the water and lifesaving efforts initiated by Miami Beach Marine Patrol.  Both victims were transferred to waiting EMS ambulance on the MacArthur Causeway, both victims were transported by ambulance to Jackson/Ryder Trauma Center.  Efforts to revive the two victims were unsuccessful due to the nature of injury, both had severe head trauma which was most likely the primary cause of death along with other internal bodily injury, both were pronounced deceased.  I arrived at Ryder Trauma Center at 1749 hrs. to initiate the accident investigation.  See attached Medical Examiner reports within the Incident Report for this accident for medical details reference official cause of death.
  
  Video was obtained from a security camera mounted near the causeway that shows the pre-accident incident as it occurred.  The camera was pointed in the direction to see the victims coming east towards the causeway, but only had a limited ability to see the actual crash location due to the camera angle.   Video shows the PWC traveling eastbound towards the causeway with the two victims aboard.  The PWC looks to be traveling normally and on plane, with no apparent distress, at an approximate speed of 25-40 miles per hour conservatively.  
  
  There were no other vessels in the vicinity and the victims look to be riding/operating without issue although in the earliest section of the video there appears to be some instability as to the track the operator was taking with a small amount of wavering in the steering.  The victim/operator steered the vessel directly towards the bridge/causeway hitting the concrete causeway on one of the stanchions to the right hand side of the fifth archway.  
  
  There could be several contributing causes to the accident which may include operator inexperience, lack of familiarity with water operation and of a vessel and may include alcohol or drug use as a contributing cause of the accident.  The victims were part of a large party that had rented space on a different larger vessel (No Rules II) where they had departed from with the PWC.    Final toxicology report will be included in the attachment section when available from the medical examiner.  
  
  The causeway has an archway design which could possibly allow passage under the archways slowly and carefully at certain tide levels, but at an average passage height of thirty inches (30 inches) at this fifth (5th) archway area from the MacArthur Causeway side, traveling under the causeway in even a kayak would be precarious at best and would require a slow and deliberate effort to traverse the span safely.  There are other archways and a rectangular area more central to the causeway that may have offered a better choice of passage.  There is no way to know why the victim operator chose that area to pass, if indeed that was even the situation.   Copy of video placed into evidence.  Property r
  