Another family is mourning the death of their daughter in a boating accident and calling for laws to keep boaters safe

MIAMI – Hundreds of mourners remember the life of a 15-year-old Ella Adlerdied in a water skiing crash off Key Biscayne.

Police are still looking for the boater who hit them and didn’t stop.

The parents of another teenage girl who also died in a boating accident say they know what the Adler family is going through and it’s time to make a change.

“Enough is enough, how many more of our children will we lose?” said Andy Fernandez.

Fernandez and his wife Melissa are the parents of Lucy Fernandezwho died in a boating accident on Labor Day Weekend in 2022. Just like Ella Adler, Fernandez attended a friend’s birthday.

Fernandez was aboard a 29-foot vessel at the time crashed into a channel marker near Boca Chita Key. Her parents feel sorry for the Adler family, who are going through the same heartbreaking pain.

“We want that Eagle I reassure my family that we stand in absolute solidarity with them,” said Andy Fernandez.

Adler was water skiing near the Nixon Beach sandbar in Key Biscayne on Saturday when she fell from her skis and was struck by a boat.

On Monday morning, hundreds of mourners gathered at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach for the teenager’s final service.

“She was a great dancer. My daughter’s best friend,” Loren Pearson said.

Miami City Ballet also issued a statement:

“We at Miami City Ballet and Miami City Ballet School are deeply devastated by the heartbreaking news of this tragic incident…Ella Adler was not only a beloved student and a great dancer, she was an integral part of our family…”

CBS News Miami’s Ivan Taylor spoke with Andy Fernandez about Adler’s accident. Fernandez said he has more than 30 years of boating experience.

“In Ella’s case, it was a hit-and-run accident. “Is it possible that the person driving the boat hit the girl without knowing he hit her?” Taylor asked

“My personal opinion is that they must have sensed something or known something (they hit the water),” he said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is looking for a center console boat with a light blue hull, multiple white outboard motors and possibly blue or dark blue bottom paint.

“At this point there should be a manhunt for this boat, but at least someone should turn themselves in,” Melissa Fernandez added.

The Fernandez family is channeling their pain by raising awareness about the need to implement laws and regulations for boaters. They set up a foundation in their daughter’s name.

“With the foundation we are trying to create better operators and safer operators,” said Andy Fernandez.

A license is not required to boat in Florida. The state only requires anyone born after January 1, 1988 to complete a boating safety course and obtain a boating safety card.

“We are demanding, we have started a Change.org petition asking all voters, regardless of their date of birth, to take a certification course if they are going to operate a boat,” said Melissa Fernandez.