Tragic Accident Leads to Death of 17-Year-Old Teen 

BY MAGGIE OLIVE KLEIN
KONKLIFE STAFF WRITER AND EDITOR 

It is with a heavy heart that we deliver the news of the tragic death of Luciana (Lucy) Fernandez. According to an official report on Tuesday, 14 people aboard a boat that crashed off the Florida Keys during Labor Day Weekend were ejected from the vessel. Lucy Fernandez was one of the 14 and was a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Southwest Miami-Dade. The incident occurred on a 28-foot Robalo center console. The boat crashed into a channel marker in Broad Creek in the Upper Keys, on Sunday night, around 6:30 pm. 11 of the 14 were injured. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the boat hit the channel marker and capsized near Boca Chita Key in Miami-Dade County.

According to Associated Press News, more than 10 units were sent to the scene and worked alongside Miami-Dade Police marine patrol units, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to clear the scene. Fire officials noted that seven passengers sustained minor injuries. The injured people were pulled out of the water before the other passengers by Miami-Dade fire and police units. Authorities noted that the critically injured were airlifted to a hospital in Miami from nearby Elliott Key Island.  The following day, Monday, September 5th, Lucy tragically lost her life as a result of her injuries. 

As of Tuesday, September 6th, three other girls aboard the boat, Katerina “Katy” Sofia Puig, 16, the Miami Herald Girls Soccer 7A-5A Player of the Year, Coco Aguilar, 17, and Isabella Rodriguez, 17, are still in the hospital. Other people that suffered from the crash are the boat’s driver, George Ignacio Pino, 52, Cecilia Pino, 47, Sarah Emily Gutierrez, 17, and Cecilia Lianne Pino, 17. 

The Archdiocese of Miami released the following statement regarding the accident, as posted on CBS Miami: “The boating accident that occurred yesterday involving students from Our Lady of Lourdes and others is a tragedy. At this moment, and the days to come, please keep each family affected in your prayers, and may all know of the presence of God, especially during this journey.” 

Lucy’s former school, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, scheduled a vigil service on Monday, September 5th, to pray the Rosary in honor of Lucy. Many people gathered around the school’s courtyard Monday night as Sister Fernández led the Rosary. The school also scheduled a prayer service for classes on Tuesday. 

According to news reports, the accident is the latest of many deadly incidents in the Florida Keys in recent months. On Memorial Day, a mother and two children went parasailing, and high winds might have been the cause for the operator to release the rope line, which sent parasailers crashing into a bridge and ultimately killing the mom. Just a week prior, a man was killed after the boat he was in hit a concrete power line pole. The boat spiraled in circles, and nearby boaters pulled the people out of its path, as reported by the Herald. 

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