Boating accident in Biscayne Bay leaves girl dead, search continues for ship that hit her – NBC 6 South Florida

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is continuing its search for a boat after a girl was struck and killed in Biscayne Bay on Saturday.

According to officials, the boating accident occurred near Nixon Beach in Miami-Dade County around 4:30 p.m

The girl had been water skiing before she was struck by a boat, FWC said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, NBC6 spoke with a witness who gave a first-hand account of the tragic incident.

The witness also provided NBC6 with a photo of the immediate aftermath, which showed what appeared to be a gray yacht next to a police boat. The witness said the victim was water skiing from the gray yacht.

According to the witness, the girl was in the water when a large fishing boat hit her in the center console. They said the boat that hit the victim did not appear to swerve or slow down. After the collision, the witness said he heard distress signals and screams from the yacht over the radio.

Officials also said the vessel that fatally struck them was described as having a light blue center console, possibly with blue or dark blue bottom paint and three or four white outboard motors. It was last seen heading west from Nixon Beach in Key Biscayne.

FWC officials also confirmed to NBC6 on Sunday that the girl was not actively waterskiing and was struck in an accident.

“The victim was water skiing. And she was not actively water skiing at the time of impact. “She was just in the water, had the board attached to her feet and was wearing a life jacket,” an FWC spokesperson said.

The witness described how the yacht honked urgently as it approached the girl again.

The FWC is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that leads to an arrest or assists in the investigation.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the FWC hotline at 888-404-3922.

This is a developing story. Contact NBC6 for updates.