Boater in fatal Florida crash blames ferry captain for being ‘distracted by dolphins’: lawyer

The boater successful a Mass casualty” clang with a Florida ferry is blaming the different vessel’s skipper for failing to person due lighting — and for being “distracted by dolphins,” his lawyer told officials.

Jeffry Knight has not been criminally charged for the caught-on-camera crash, successful which his backstage vessel collided with a Clearwater ferry with 45 radical onboard connected Sunday night, sidesplitting 1 antheral and injuring 10 different passengers.

He blamed the h2o taxi, operated by Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, for not having “the required navigational lights” — and for its unit being distracted by searching retired oversea life, Knight’s lawyer, J. Kevin Hayslett, told the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission successful a missive Tuesday.

“Multiple witnesses person reported that the ferry appeared inadequately illuminated, and that successful the moments earlier the collision, the skipper and galore passengers were distracted by dolphins successful the area, diminishing navigational awareness,” Hayslett wrote.

“It appears that conscionable anterior to the accident, idiosyncratic connected the ferry was shining a spotlight successful the channel, which would corroborate reports that they were looking astatine dolphins,” the lawyer added.

Knight denies fleeing the country — saying helium stayed arsenic agelong arsenic possible, but was yet forced to question information due to the fact that his ain vessel was taking successful “a ample magnitude of water” and helium feared for a babe connected his craft.

“The frantic parent of an babe connected committee pleaded for contiguous transport pursuing the clang due to the fact that she was acrophobic that her 8-week-old kid whitethorn person suffered injuries,” Hayslett wrote.

“Given the circumstances … helium prudently determined that returning to dock arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable was the champion people of action,” the lawyer wrote.

Immediately aft the crash, Knight directed a rider connected his vessel to telephone 911 and was connected enactment with the dispatcher for 12 minutes aft the crash, the missive said.

Haysley added that footage of the clang and its aftermath shows Knight didn’t permission until Clearwater Police and different responders arrived.

“During this time, the caller relayed updates and exigency directions, specified arsenic telling Mr. Knight to instruct each the ferry passengers to instantly enactment connected a beingness jacket,” Hayslett wrote. 

“Mr. Knight tied his vas to the ferry successful bid to stabilize it and render aid. He utilized his vessel to maneuver the ferry person to enactment truthful that archetypal responders would person easier entree to the passengers.”

Knight offered to transport immoderate of the injured passengers to the Morton Plant Hospital connected his boat, but the connection was denied, his lawyer said.

The skipper passed voluntary sobriety tests erstwhile helium was concisely detained Sunday erstwhile officials yet caught up with him, and was recovered to person nary hint of intoxicant successful his system.

The incidental happened astatine the adjacent of the Sugar Sand Festival, and the ferry was helping transportation radical backmost and distant from the festivities.

Emergency dispatchers answering 911 calls from the mishap country heard “horrific screaming” successful the background, Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy has said.