Seven injured, five seriously, in boat collision with barge on Fort Myers Beach
Five people, including a juvenile, suffered serious serious injuries when a 36-foot vessel traveling near Bowditch Point last night on Fort Myers Beach, struck a barge. Two of the seven occupants of the boat sustained minor injuries. All of the occupants were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and treated by Fort Myers Beach firefighters and Lee County EMS at the U.S. Coast Guard Station on Fort Myers Beach and transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for their injuries. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the boat was a recreational boat that was based locally in Lee County and was moving out of Matanzas Pass when it struck the barge.
The boat had markings on the outside indicating it was from Cape Coral.
Fort Myers Beach Fire Chief Scott Wirth said the boat that struck the barge was a 36-feet Boston Whaler. Wirth said four of the patients that were transported had “traumatic injuries.”
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the boat was towed back to the U.S. Coast Guard Station and the accident remains under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) Commission.
FWC and U.S. Coast Guard officials didn’t immediately details on the nature of the barge’s activity though one FWC official said they believed it was related to a dredging project.
The Town of Fort Myers Beach sand renourishment project wrapped up last week.