The driver of the boat that on Saturday night turned near the Statue of Liberty, causing the death of a 27-year-old woman and the five-month-old daughter, is now federally charged. As we told about New York after the accident, 14 people traveled on the boat: the other twelve had been recovered from the water and brought to the hospital with minor injuries.
The new complaint lodged in the Southern District of New York contains several elements that were not known in the early hours. Manuel Hernandez, who led the Yamaha Motorboat AR210, is accused of two misconduct and neglect of ship officer resulting in death. According to Coast Guard investigators, he didn’t have the necessary certifications to transport paid passengers to the port of New York.
The boat also had a maximum capacity indicated by the manufacturer of ten people, but at the time of the accident it transported fourteen, including Hernandez. According to the complaint, there were no life jackets suitable for children or infants on board. Hernandez would have been aware of it and would have asked one of the parents to wear a vest and hold the child on the tour.
The trip had been organized through a company that advertised online private excursions in the port of New York. The federal complaint claims that one of the passengers had paid for the tour and that Hernandez had already conducted other boat trips for the same activity.
Investigators also claim that neither the driver nor the boat had obtained the certifications of the Coast Guard required for this type of commercial service.
The incident occurred around 22:30 on August 8, in the waters near Liberty Island. According to the reconstruction of the investigators, during the return the boat met a series of waves and began to board water before turning over. Sara Sanchez, 27 years old, and her daughter Antonella Garcia, five months old. The other passengers survived.
Hernandez was initially accused by NYPD of several reckless endangerment leaders. The procedure is then passed to the federal authorities, also competent for the rules on commercial navigation. According to Gothamist, Hernandez was released on a $50,000 bail and cannot leave New York and New Jersey nor contact the passengers or employees of the company that had arranged the tour.
L’articolo Tragedia in front of the Statue of Liberty, federal charges for the boat driver proviene da IlNewyorkese.
