MIAMI – Nearly a year after a Labor Day weekend boat crash on Biscayne Bay that killed a 17-year-old girl and injured nearly a dozen others, charges have been filed against the vessel’s operator, prosecutors announced Friday.
George Pino, 52, was behind the wheel of a 29-foot Robalo boat in the early evening hours of Sept. 4 when he slammed it into a channel marker near Boca Chita Key, killing Lucy Fernandez and seriously injuring 17-year-old Katerina Puig, officials with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office said.
Several other of the boat’s 14 passengers, many of whom were teenage girls, were also hurt after being forcefully thrown into the water. Pino took out the boat to celebrate his daughter’s birthday and was returning back to the dock at the time of the crash, officials said.
Authorities charged Pino with one count each of careless operation of a vessel causing death and careless operation of a vessel causing serious injury, both misdemeanors.
Officials said the charges came after an “extensive marine investigation” conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and were the maximum allowable by law.
“The driving pattern of the vessel, as clearly indicated by the boat’s onboard GPS system, and the fact that the boat operator was not impaired by drugs or alcohol while operating the vessel limited the criminal charges applicable to the circumstances of this incident,” Miami-Dade SAO spokesperson Ed Griffith said in a news release.
“The Florida Statutes place additional legal responsibilities on marine boat operation which are not placed on motor vehicle operators,” he added. “If the circumstances of this incident had occurred on the streets of any Florida roadway, the only option available to investigators and prosecutors would have been the issuance of a non-criminal traffic citation.”
Pino’s post-crash legal troubles are now criminal in addition to civil.
Puig’s parents sued Pino and his wife in March, alleging that the pair, who were supposed to be supervising the group of girls, bought and allowed them to consume alcohol.
It also alleged that Pino “refused a blood draw and/or breathalyzer testing after the accident...in order to conceal the fact that he had consumed alcohol to the extent that his normal faculties were impaired,” though, as stated above, authorities did not suspect impairment as a factor in the crash.
Puig’s family also sued the Ocean Reef Volunteer Fire Department, alleging a delayed response time.
Pino’s Fort Lauderdale-based attorney, Andrew N. Mescolotto, released a statement to Local 10 News Friday afternoon after charges were filed:
“The FWC and the State Attorney’s Office have conclusively confirmed this was not an alcohol-related accident. Multiple witnesses observed that another boat created an extra-large wake causing a loss of control. George and Cecilia Pino are devastated by the passing of Lucy and the serious injuries to Katy and others. The Pinos have already pledged their life savings to compensate and provide medical support for everyone affected by this horrible accident. They continue to pray every day for each person and family that was involved.”
Andrew Mescolotto, Pino's attorney
It wasn’t clear whether Pino was or will be booked into jail. A search of jail records showed no booking information or mugshot as of early Friday afternoon.
The LucyFernandezFoundation released a statement on Instagram Saturday morning, which you can read below.