Miami father, 9-year-old son killed after Waverunner slams into concrete seawall in Keys
A Miami father and his 9-year-son were killed after a Waverunner slammed into a concrete seawall in the Florida Keys this week "at a high rate of speed," local officials reported.
The 47-year-old man was driving the watercraft with his son riding with him when the crash took place Tuesday night, according to information from The Monroe County Sheriff's Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The crash occurred at 6:55 p.m. in a canal in the Middle Keys city of Marathon, officials said, near the Castaways Waterfront Restaurant and Sushi Bar.
Marathon is about 45 miles northeast of Key West.
A FWC accident report obtained by USA TODAY Thursday identified the victims as Jose Dominguez and his son, Daniel Dominguez.
According to the report, the pair were onboard a 2018 Yamaha personal watercraft when the vessel struck the seawall traveling at "a high rate of speed," causing fatal injuries to the driver and his son.
Deputies with the sheriff’s office reportedly arrived first on the scene, followed by officers with FWC and the Monroe County Fire Rescue paramedics, who declared the man dead at the scene.
A photo provided to USA TODAY by the sheriff's office shows the blue, white and gray badly damaged watercraft next to the seawall, with what appears to be a single gray and green Croc shoe resting upright in its right floorboard.
The watercraft struck the seawall so hard that "the man was ejected about 20 feet onto land," Sheriff Rick Ramsay told The Miami Herald.
The boy was thrown into the water, the newspaper reported, and witnesses "immediately jumped into the water to try to save the child."
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Father and son killed in Marathon were on 2018 Yamaha watercraft
Arielle Callender, FWC spokesperson for the West Palm Beach region, told USA TODAY, no additional information was available Thursday as the double-death investigation case remained open and active.
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims during this difficult time," Callender said.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.