MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Multiple people were rescued from the waters of the Everglades in far western Miami-Dade County Friday afternoon after an airboat flipped over.
It happened south of the Tamiami Trail, about five miles west of Krome Avenue.
Video from Sky 10 showed multiple people being taken away from the boat on other airboats.
Sky 10 video showed Miami-Dade police and fire rescue crews, along with U.S. park rangers and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, converging at Coopertown Airboats, located at 22700 SW Eighth St., which owns the airboat.
Several passengers told Local 10 News that the captain was trying to maneuver the airboat to get a better look at an alligator in the water and possibly turned too fast, flipping on its side.
“(The) boat just flipped on its side and we’re all in the water,” a passenger said. “I was screaming, because the alligator’s right there. Luckily, no one was hurt badly. A couple of scratches here and there — an accident. Things happen.”
Ten people were believed to be aboard the vessel.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, one person was assessed for injuries but was not taken to the hospital.
There were no reports of additional injuries.
“My first thought was panic, I was afraid for my wife and family members, and then I thought about the alligator,” said passenger Jose Maldonado.
Passengers said they were left stranded for between 10 and 15 minutes.
“We tried to flip the boat over but it was just too heavy,” said Maldonado.
After the crash, FWC officers and U.S. park rangers were seen leading a man, wearing a shirt similar to those worn by Coopertown employees, into a pickup truck in handcuffs, then taken away.
Officials later confirmed that man was the operator of the airboat, and that he was subsequently arrested “for having neither proof of completion of a boating safety course nor a captain’s license issued by the United States Coast Guard.”
That man’s identity has not been released.
It’s believed between 20 and 40 gallons of fuel spilled into the water after the airboat tipped over.
Sky 10 feed: