HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Four Hoosiers were injured in a boat crash in Florida on New Year’s Eve.
The accident was reported just after midnight Wednesday at a state park near Fort Lauderdale.
A 42-foot fishing vessel smashed into a jetty near Port Everglades, ejecting two of the four people on board, investigators said.
They’ve been identified as Lauren and Jarret Silagy of McCordsville, Daniel Towriss of Zionsville and Cassidy Rudman of Indianapolis. Three of the passengers were taken to a hospital, one with serious injuries, but all are expected to recover.
Brian Gear, a Broward County resident who heard the crash, said it was “pure luck” the victims all survived.
The impact of the crash propelled the boat out of the water, stunning witnesses and authorities. It remained lodged against the side of the jetty, nose up at a 45-degree angle, for hours after the accident.
“It’s amazing to see how far that boat actually made it out of the water,” said Kyle Van Buskirk, a battalion chief for the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
The cause of the accident remained under investigation Wednesday night.
(PHOTO: WISH-TV)
