A tragedy unfolded following a July 4th fireworks display on the waters near Oyster Bay, Long Island. The “Candi One” a 34 foot Silverton vessel was carrying 27 people at the time and was heading home following the fireworks display when it capsized propelling 24 of its passengers into the water and trapping 3 children (ages 12, 11, and 8) in a cabin where they ultimately drowned. The FBI is investigating the tragic incident and preliminary causes for the accident have been deemed to be a combination of weather, wake from another vessel, and possibly overcrowding.
This incident once again underscores the heightened degree of care that must be exercised by owners and operators of vessels that are carrying passengers on the waters of New York. Because boating accidents can so often have tragic results, such as those that occurred here, boat owners and operators must make safety priority number one, keeping close observation of weather conditions, other vessels in the area, and the number of people that are on their boat. It is extremely important that operators take timely action in response to changing weather conditions and see what is there to be seen in order to ensure the safety of their passengers. The failure to use reasonable care in these respects can have tragic repercussions.
The FBI continues to work on the recovery of the vessel in this case and will continue to investigate the causes of the accident. As of July 10th, the vessel had yet to be pulled from the water.
Marc S. Albert specializes in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. Mr. Albert has extensive experience in boating accident cases and has been involved in representing victims of boating accidents for more than 17 years. In one of the most tragic boating accident cases in recent memory, a crash involving a pleasure boat with the Greenport Jetty in Long Island, Mr. Albert recovered $2.7 million on behalf of a successful technologist and father of two who was tragically killed in the accident.