The water was reported choppy, she was a head floating in the chop, one second maybe two of distraction and you never saw her. That boat ran over her and never even made a noise. At 20 plus miles an hour on a boat in chop with wind you can't hear a person next to you much less someone in the water. There wont be a dent, streak nothing to suggest that boat hit any thing. It's solid fiberglass and thick. He didn't know, it's was an accident. If you want to know who to blame look at whom ever was driving the boat with 13 people on board and two wake boarders in the water in a heavy boat traffic area. Black Diamond and boats like her run thru there at 180 miles an hour. Your head wouldn't even be noticed.
Not to mention the glare on the water can make spotting a person's head impossible at times. The tow boat "captain" is more at fault than the old man. I've been on the water for over 40 years of my 50+ years. The water doesn't suffer fools.
From an experienced boater: the poor girl’s head looked nothing more than a possible crab trap float in the chop if the boater would have even noticed it at all. Do not water sport in boating channels!
You can easily lose a small fishing boat or kayak in the water from the chop, reflections and sun if you aren't vigilant with your surroundings. Very easy to miss seeing a head bobbing out of the water.
Don't go wake boarding with idiots who don't know how to raise an orange flag when someone falls into the water. It's simple. You idiots have never been towed behind a boat and it shows.
I grew up on the Columbia river (where people _do_ mix water sports and commercial shipping) and I couldn’t agree more. I’ve seen a lot of people in the water and sometimes only known because their boat had a flag up. It’s really scary.
@@mdoy5667 If you can't see something you can't see it so what's your point? People who were towing people around in a heavy traffic area should be held more responsible imo.
@@bryanrackard9268 Not sure how he will be sued given the people on the wakeboards and the other boat operator put them in harm's way imo. If he was operating the boat according to the law where he was then how does his age really matter? Mind you it is the US so you're likely right.
@@bryanrackard9268So what was going on in the other boat with 13 people? Were they drinking, distracted, in an area that’s safe to pull water skiers? Did they drop off a girl in a high traffic area? Need a whole lot more information to make any kind of statement.
This was obviously a horrific accident, but if there is anyone to blame, it's the boater that didn't turn around to pick up the teen girl as soon as she fell. You don't leave someone bobbing in the water alone in an area boats have the right to speed in.
@@planetvegan7843 What an ignorant and ridiculous comment about a tragic accident. Just because people are seniors doesn't mean they aren't astute You can hand in your license when you turn 65. My Dad is 75 he's Brillant and he'd whoop your disrespectful butt. Regardless, rules on the water are the captain is responsible for their passenger's and the other Captain is responsible for his boat. This is a tragic accident; ageism isn't the answer. ( just because bidens brain is mush of I see you're a vegan.I was a vegan in the 80s) Everyone wants to place blame, and everyone is scared. What's important is celebrating the beautiful young girl and supporting her family. Everyone should be coming together and being loving and compassionate to everyone involved.
WAY TO OLD AND "I DIDNT KNW I HIT HER" NO SH!+ BECAUSE YOUR 80 YOU SELFISH BOOMER YOUR TIME IS OVER YOU SCREWED 3GENRATIONS WITH YOUR GREED AND NOW YOUR ENDING THEM BECAUSE YOU CAN JUST STOP BEING SELFISH AND THINK OF SOMEONE ELSE ONCE IN YOUR LIVES!!!!! THANK GOD YOU ALL HAVE AN EXPERATION DATE
What’s interesting about (YOU PEOPLE) & the alcoholism claim is that just a few years before the potato famine, Ireland was the site of a massively successful temperance campaign led by a Catholic priest, Theobald Mathew. So successful was this campaign that between 1838 and 1841, national alcohol consumption was cut in half.
@@JamminClemmonsValid argument, but I’d contend that in spite of the common misconception, Christopher Columbus wasn't trying to prove Earth was round when he set sail in 1492. He was trying to prove that sailing due west was the quickest way to get to the Far East. Not only were his calculations incorrect, but had he not accidentally stumbled upon the Caribbean islands that he believed to be coastal India, he and his entire crew would’ve found nothing but endless ocean until they eventually starved to death. So, yeah. Try to counter that. I’ll eagerly await your reply. You’ll undoubtedly point out that identifying 10th century Russian, “Rurik of Rus” with “Rorik of Dorestad” was revived by the anti-Normanists Boris Rybakov and Anatoly H. Kirpichnikov in the mid-20th century, but we all know Alexander Nazarenko and other scholars have objected to that absurd notion.
Did you notice not a word about the other captain of the boat the girl was. He failed all the rules and regulations! Why so quiet? Does the boat belong to a family friend? Who was operating it? Was he drunk?
Right! Where is the news about the captain responsible for putting a 15 year old skier in the a busy water way with fast boats and then abandon her when she fell to keep the ride going for the other skier, that is not how you tow tandem skiers and who was spottting.
I would bet the other boat driver was inexperienced and drunk and why was he pulling a skier’s in a channel with other boats. Because he had no common sense
@@michaelashley2855 Because people talk about the person who did the hitting. It has always been this way. If they find negligence on the part of the tow captain then they will release it.
It is disgusting what they are doing to this man. Yet they are doing and saying nothing about the operator of the tow boat. Shameful! They are grasping to put blame on someone for an honest accident.
The report is bias. It is so focused on the boat that allegedly killed the teen. How about the boat that brought the teen to the location where she got killed?
How is it his fault? He was doing what everyone else was doing but the old man wasn’t paying attention. He was probably going to quick. It’s the old man. He probably didn’t know. He wasn’t paying attention
@@stevemcgowen no I didn’t miss his name, but you have just because they mentioned his name doesn’t necessarily mean he’s Hispanic. He could be German who knows so don’t assume he Hispanic unless they say he or why don’t you go ask him
POOR OLD MAN! Sounds like the girl and her friends were in the wrong place and got this girl killed and now they want to blame their negligence on this poor old man FOR AN ACCIDENT THEY COULD HAVE AVOIDED
Poor old man? I like how you want to blame them because you’re too weak for an old man. Yeah it was an accident but he was the operating the boat and wasn’t paying attention.
His license should be revoked since he can't pay attention and he's 100% at fault regardless of if she was in the wrong place wrong time he should have been paying attention on that water I still think he should serve some time and maybe be light on him to have probation but definitely shouldn't get off free after killing someone from his own negligence or ability to not see correctly he should have not been driving a boat let alone a vehicle period
I live on a sailboat in Florida and it's chaotic on the water. If that poor poor girl was bobbing in a busy waterway I'm 100% he didn't see her. I can't imagine what her family is going through and I wish them peace.
The driver of the boat towing the skier is responsible for skiers safety. Where is he or she? Was there a spotter, flags, etc.? Tell the complete story please.
I’m no boating expert but I have water ski before and I know it take 3 people. One to ski one to drive and the last to watch the skiers. When the rider fell the spotter should have told the driver and turned around to get her. This seems like she was just left out in the middle of the ocean with 0 protection so the real person is the ones who where towing her
As a boater myself I can say his side of things is completely plausible. No one has come forward and said he was operating in an unsafe manner - there are "rules of the road" out on the water; those rules apply to everyone. Unfortunately those kids were not operating in a safe or conscientious manner. Wake surfing is dangerous as it requires speed and access to the wake of other boats which means, yes you guessed it folks, you need to play in traffic. We can feel for this girl and we should but that day her life was in her hands and the operator of 'her' boat. Kids will be kids and screw up; they're invincible.
Yeah, him being old had nothing to do with it either, it's just not a good position to be in... regardless of who was driving that boat that hit her... the one that was towing pulling her, however....
florida culture - for criminals by criminals- no one is innocent - a child killer - what is he running for congress? florida loves the child killers and pedos
You don't know any facts about the accident and yet you already determined fault. Do you really think it is not possible that this 100 year old guy didn't see the flag or are you just a smooth brained individual?
They were playing in the main traffic area because they wanted to ride the wakes the passing boats made. Absolutely dumb. What this girls was doing is akin to skateboarding on the freeway.
youre talking shxt dude...first of all they were wakeboarding, you dont want other boats around you want your own steady predictable wake , they were in an area where it is normally done apparently but there are not real cordoned off areas just for that so yes there will be other traffic around especially on a nice day in fla, what you can speculate pretty safely from the only real info they are letting out about the towing boat is that there were two being pulled at same time and usually one falls before the other, with other boats anywhere in the picture its a big NONO to leave the fallen and get too far away with the other towed person no protecting the fallen, ive been skiing wb and kneeboarding for alm 40 years someone falls you get back to them and almost coral them so no boats can hit them, you got horrible boaters out there in general imagine how bad some people are with safety in how you should tow skiiers etc!!! i feel for this old guy, from what i see he doesnt seem to know he hit anyone and in fla areas can be choppy with sun reflections etc...
@@SuperJlonerganin my state, boaters are supposed to have a spotter facing and watching the skier in the water at all times. And when the skier falls, the spotter is supposed to immediately tell the driver and raise an orange flag as the driver of the boat circles around back to the skier. It’s state law, and I constantly see harbor patrol ticketing people for not adhering to it. It’s a 500$ fine! And quite frequently, that usually leads to a dui arrest. Some people are just stupid, it’s astonishing.
I firmly believe this man had absolutely no clue he had hit her, further more why was a 15 year old out there and why isn’t the person who was TOWING her in the water facing no charges
Unfortunate the 15 year old girl was killed. However these people wake board/ water skiing ect in a busy waterway meant for boat's going to and from not personal water recreational enjoyments. This elderly gentleman shouldn't be charged for the negligence of someone else STUPIDITY.
He wasn't paying attention he's so clueless he didn't even know he hit anybody. The typical ski rope is 70 ft you don't get that close to another boat. He's too damn old to be driving the boat it was an accident but he still responsible.
@@jonathanscott550 get it through your thick skull there's dual culpability. And it predominantly falls on the old man that ran over her. Now what I would really like to find out is if he had the skier in skier out flags on his boat. How does a boater protect a skier in the water from other boaters explain that one to me.
This was obviously a very sad accident and shame on those who are out there being hateful. These 2 families are brought together through this tragic event, and hearts are broken on both sides. Show love and support to both families.
Either way it was an accident and from the little FACTUAL information available, I would give him the benefit of doubt that he did not know he hit a downed skier. I am a little more suspect of the wisdom of the boat operator that was towing the girl….. again not enough info for me slam either party, but of course the lack of definitive info will not stop most comments from being prematurely, hyper judgemental
@@kellyammirati3259maybe no one is at fault! There’s something called an unfortunate ACCIDENT! Why do people like to be judgmental all the time! How about allowing the investigation conclude before making allegations of guilt ?
Right! Information such as where exactly where they skiing, was it in a marked channel? How long had she been in the water after falling? Was there a flag person on her towing boat? Wake boarders have a tendency to get too close to other vessels and ride in high traffic areas, hence the wake in wake board. Seeing someone in choppy water isnt the easiest thing in the world and hitting someone would likely sound about the same as hitting a wave, especially in a large boat such as his. This is horrible for everyone involved. It sounds like an unfortunate accident.
Exactly not one word has been said about the other driver 13 kids on board? I questioned why the other boat wasn't seized or maybe it was seized and we don't know but channel 10 definitely said at least five times 78 year old 78 year old 78 year old we're tired of it We've been watching Donnie rapture on RU-vid and let's just say parents don't 😢 give the boat keys to your children 😢. Now channel 10 how old was the other driver in the boat that had 13 people on it
Where I live you can only tow one skier, with a minimum 14 year old observer and a licensed sober driver. However it is, a sad day, seemingly a needless accident. Condolences for the family, for every life is precious.
You want parents to educate their kids about water safety? That’s your takeaway here? How about old assholes with failing vision and reduced reflex and response time need to know better than to pilot a powerful speed boat capable of going 70mph. There’s the appropriate education, teach the elderly and impaired to stay away from boats when they can’t safely operate them. There, I fixed that “advice” for you, but thanks anyway for the dead child victim shaming, it’s both classy and helpful. And It doesn’t at all miss the giant elephant in the room🤦🏾♀️🙄
How dare you judge or criticize this isn’t the parents fault ! This is a tragic incident !! How about rules of elderly driving boats killing innocent people ! Well the only way people like you learn is when it happens to you !!
He was still negligently boating too fast in an area with many other vessels where some of them were doing water sports. That's criminal negligence. Not being able to see is not an excuse. It's always the boat drivers responsibility to not hit things or people with their boat.
@@michaelashley2855 It's what you learn when you get your boating license. It's your responsibility as the driver to not hit things or people with your boat.
ikr. AT MOST, he is guilty of simple negligence for failing to operate a boat safely. There is NO evidence he showed a "reckless disregard" in operating his boat. Boaters know its difficult to see objects in the water on a choppy sea, everyone else seems to assume he ran her down for fun.
Someone is DEAD. Imagine if that was your sister, mother, daughter... You'd want the person to be held accountable for her death. If anything this is a perfect example of humans biting off more than they can chew. they buy big powerful tools that they don't have the skills to wield properly.
@@MontyRoyal963 Now imagine your sister, mother, daughter behind the controls of a big boat who hits an object in choppy water in an area that is high boat traffic and didn't know it. It's a tragedy but not criminal.
A senior citizen was driving a HUGE boat and didn't know he hit someone being "towed" in the water. That comes as no surprise to anybody who has ever driven a car or boat around the elderly. Sounds like a tragic accident that the boat driver didn't know happened.
He had the boat out for 30 minutes; a lot of the elderly in my neighborhood take thier boat out to lubricate eveything ~ waiting on family/friends to visit for a ride. I drive my RV a couple miles each week for the same reason.
Even if theres a flag you don't put people in a busy high traffic boating lane. And certainly.dont tow on 40 ft boat with nearly 20 people on board... wreck less.
I see most of the commenters here want to have the right kill other people with no consequence. "Aaaaw, let the poor man alone. I do stupid things all the time and I really don't want to be blamed for any of it."
2 ppl sking behind a boat? Both go down in separate locations he probably spotted one but not the other chop in the water he didnt feel or hear a thing 3 outboard.motors..ya this guy doesnt look like he was running from a scene way to casual and calm. why bring the boat back and park it at your house?
It will never change or stop anyone else getting killed by boaters staying away from high boat traffic areas. Those young girls have. responsibilities too. When you look and watch how this played out something bad will happen.
The video supports his accounting. He wasn't drinking, and he didn't know he hit anything. If he was trying to hide anything he would have looked over his boat for visible damage or taken it out of the water to hide it away somewhere.
That doesn't excuse hitting someone. Not being able to see is not an excuse. If there is a chance people are doing water sports around you, then you slow down. It's always the boat driver's responsibility to not hit things or people with their boat. This was still criminal negligence.
@@mariusfacktor3597have you ever been on a large boat or even more, driven a large boat in choppy waters? A tiny head bobbling amongst the choppy waves is nearly impossible to see for anybody… criminal negligence isn’t even in question. Accidents do happen, not everything is criminal when a death is involved.
@@Monica_Escobar If it was in open ocean, then I'd agree with you fully. But as others have pointed out, this was a high traffic area. It's not appropriate to zoom past nearby vessels at full speed. It's the boat driver's responsibility to slow down and proceed with caution. Especially if a nearby boat has a ski tower and dangling rope. That should be immediately obvious to any boat driver to not proceed at full speed.
@@mariusfacktor3597that area is not a water sports complex it’s a high traffic area. Yes it is the captains responsibility… the captain that was pulling the skis. It’s such a sad story but I don’t see the man bearing any responsibility. When you bring someone aboard your boat you’re responsible for them & their life
@@thunderboltpenetrator8498 you're an imbecile and you've clearly not operated a boat of that size. People are booking it at full speed in that channel and you wouldn't be able to see or expect a head bobbing in and out of the water.
@@overkillblackjack2910In heavy choppy water, the bow of a boat is smacking the water loud and hard. A 115lb person was not even noticable when the boat crushed her skull. Noise levels are constantly high also. Visibility is also poor when you consider the height of the waves and that the boat pulling her left her floating unprotected. The better question is....... First, why was the other operator operating in heavy sea with high traffic? Second, have you ever operated a boat in these conditions? Third, answer the second question before assuming.
Bill is a criminally negligent power boater. Driving a 40 foot boat and not meticulously watching where you are going in a busy area with other water users is negligent.
Hitting a person with a boat that size is like running over a worm in a car. How can you notice it? Poor girl was having fun with wrong, inexperienced and irresponsible people. RIP
Why make a comment without knowing what really happened,if she fell in the water like it was said there was no way to see her,at his age it's going to be hard for him,so sad for her family,it was a tragic accident 😢
@@floridagirl386 ,read my comment again,am talking about how he must feel ,as we age things like that will be in his thoughts,am 81,and a safe and good driver.
Terribly, terribly sad. I feel for all involved. It seems to me that this man simply had no idea. I'm sure he's devastated and will think about this for the rest of his life.
I have no opinion, because I don't know all the facts, but I don't see how this video proves very much other than he set off at three and returned at four thirty.
Ill say as a boater. When someone has fallen in the water or are swimming, they are incredibly hard to see, especially of there are any sort of waves or chop at all.
Did I miss something? I know they took the boat away to look at it. How is it that the story is written as if its a fact it was this guy and his boat? What established that?
You never pull wakeboard, boogie board, and regular skiers in a high traffic area. Especially if there is chop on the water. A boar that size or bigger is not going to see them floating in the water unless they are holding up a ski or board high out of the water. Her being hit by a boat that big sounds no different to the captain than riding choppy water conditions for that day..
A senior citizen was driving a HUGE boat and didn't know he hit someone being "towed" in the water. That comes as no surprise to anybody who has ever driven a car or boat around the elderly. Sounds like a tragic accident that the boat driver didn't know happened. Florida is known as: "God's waiting room."
My question is, did they find the richest dude in the area with the same type of boat that matches the description. I find it really hard to believe that he was full tilt with that boat in a crowded area.
The main fault is "choice of location" to ski - Get to a low traffic area so u can ski in peace. The driver pulling the skier can not help the skier once they fall off and the boat has to go back to get them. Even in the best circumstances... its going to take a minute to get back to them. The skier can hold their ski or board above their head and up in the air to try to be seen better but they will have to wait and hope they don't get run over. As the driver of the other boat...if u don't see the skier and you were to run that skier over, it would not be as obvious as when in an automobile. A boat hits waves all day that would feel and sound similar and the driver would more than likely never know.
Why are they blaming this old man? They should be blaming the teens who left that poor girl in the water. If she was picked up, she would still be here today.
Unless the tow rope was unbelievably long, why was “Bill” close enough to the other vessel that he was able to hit anyone? Only thing I can think of is she fell and the other boat wasn’t paying attention and got too far away. Barring that argument, nothing else makes sense.
And no mention at all about the idiot that was towing her in a busy traveled boat channel? Where was the towing boat when she was killed in this accident? If there is anyone to blame for this accident it is the one that had her on tow and not the boat hitting her. It is pretty much IMPOSSIBLE to see a floating person in the water with only the head sticking up.
Did the boats have flaggers? I think there is more to the story. I understand the family’s agony. But were proper safety procedures followed? Boaters need to be made aware of people in the water. This doesn’t look like someone covering up a crime.
Quit criminalizing this old man by media. Give him some peace, he likely feels terrible. The only investigation that should be taking place is the investigation into the driver of her boat.
This is 100% the fault of the clown who was operating the tow boat, he was the one who allowed wake boarding in a busy channel, this was a disaster waiting to happen and when the girl fell off the wake board into the water in the busy channel disaster did happen but the one responsible 100% is the clown operating the tow boat.
I have no clue what happened because I do not know where the kids were tubing but it’s not shocking to me that a guy that old and infirm hit someone and did not know it…but to those that think this video proves something wtf did you expect him to do appear guilty abandon his boat somewhere and run to Mexico ?! No matter what he knew or didn’t know he still has to park the boat and it’s not crazy to think that he knew what he did and was already starting to develop his defense by staying calm. That’s how both an innocent and calculating guilty person would behave. This video means absolutely nothing unless you’re dumb or you’re the media selling ads