On, 1/31/2023, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), were on water patrol in a marked patrol vessel wearing our state issued duty uniform when dispatch called out a boating accident with injuries over the radio. Being one of the closer units, Officer and I responded to the accident by land after we docked the patrol vessel. Conditions were calm, with light winds in the Cudjoe Bay area where the accident occurred. 
	Dispatch informed us that the accident had happened approximately 30-40 minutes before we received the call. The operator of the vessel, had already arrived at Lower Keys Medical Center to be treated for broken ribs and a punctured lung. 
	Officer 1 and I left City Marina Key West and headed to Lower Keys Medical Center to receive Sworn Written Statements from both the operator and his father/registered owner of the vessel who witnessed the accident from land. 
	When we arrived at the hospital, I met with the father of the injured party. I received a Sworn Written Statement from him at approximately 1830 hours. He explained that they had just finished putting the engine on the boat and were test driving it. During the test drive, he stated that the vessel “Spun out and dug in the water.” 
	I received a Sworn Written Statement from the operator of the Vessel, at approximately 1913 hours. He also explained that they were water testing the vessel. He stated “I was looking at the motor for water pressure and the boat spun out, throwing me into the side of the boat.” OP1 stated that he was on plane when the vessel “spun out”. The vessel was headed South in Cudjoe Bay when the vessel spun out and made an immediate 90 degree turn to the East. He explained that after the accident, he was able to idle back to the boat ramp where his father put the vessel on the trailer and took it home before taking him to Lower Keys Medical Center. 
	After learning where the vessel was, I contacted other officers on my state issued iPhone to locate and inspect the vessel involved for any damage that was caused by the accident. When they arrived at the residence, they found an Orange vessel sitting on its trailer. They informed me that the deck underneath the rub rail was cracked and separating from the hull of the vessel and that the motor seemed to be sitting crooked on the transom. The vessel also displayed fiberglass damage. There were various cracks and holes compromising the hull of the vessel. One was a large crack on the starboard side next to the helm where the operator was seated.
	After concluding my boating accident investigation, I found that the vessel suffered from machinery failure. The mounts on the motor failed, resulting in the motor to shift on the transom. This shift resulted in the vessel making a sharp, sudden turn, ultimately causing the accident. 
On January 31st, 2023, the operator was water testing the vessel that he and his father had just repaired and restored. Conditions were calm with approximately 10-15 mile per hour winds in the Cudjoe Bay area.  He was traveling South in Cudjoe Bay when the vessel hooked and made an immediate 90 degree turn to the East. The vessel stopped immediately after the sharp turn. During the accident, he was thrown from the helm into the starboard side of the vessel. The fiberglass on the inside of the vessel was cracked due to the impact. The operator was able to idle the vessel back to the boat ramp where it was loaded onto its trailer.  Owner transported the operator to Lower Keys Medical Center.

Cudjoe Bay
CUDJOE KEY                    