The parents of a teen who was left permanently paralyzed after a boat crash have filed a lawsuit against the boat owners, accusing them of negligently hosting a party in which alcohol was both present and served to the minor partygoers.
Boat owners George and Cecilia Pino hosted their daughter and several of her friends for a birthday party that allegedly involved underage drinking. Kathya and Rodolfo Puig, the parents of Katerina Puig, say it was this reckless behavior that contributed to their daughter's injuries.
The nearly 30-foot boat was traveling down an intercoastal waterway near the South End of Cutter Bank in Miami-Dade County when it struck a channel marker. Upon impact, all 14 passengers were ejected from the boat. One victim, 17-year-old Luciana "Lucy" Fernandez, was killed as a result of the impact. Puig and five other partygoers sustained injuries.
Katerina Puig was a standout soccer player at her high school, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. Her parents say that her injuries have left her permanently disabled. While they have not detailed the type of injuries she suffered, they explain she will need lifelong medical care.
The Puig family also names several responding paramedics for not acting quickly enough in responding to the initial distress call. The paramedics worked with Ocean Reef Volunteer Fire Department and included Gionvani Quintero, Brian Burt, and Yusniel Collado. The lawsuit alleges that they received a distress call around 6:50 p.m. but did not dispatch until an hour later, forcing their daughter to wait almost two hours to receive care. It was not until 9:07 that Puig was able to receive care at a local hospital.
In September, Coast Guard officials explained that their crew received a distress call via cell phone, not a marine VHF radio. Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Estrada explained, "Cell phones can be extremely unreliable, especially depending on where you are on the water, you may not have reception, the battery could die."
The Ocean Reef Volunteer Fire Department also runs and operates the Trauma Star helicopter which was dispatched to the scene. The department and the company have both been named as defendants as well.
In the lawsuit, the Puig Family accused the Pinos of driving while under the influence, citing that George Pino refused to take a breathalyzer test after the crash had occurred.
The Puig family filed their lawsuit on the same day the Pino family attorney filed a motion for “limitation of liability” in federal court. Their filing seeks to put a cap on potential monetary damages to the value of the boat that was destroyed in the crash. The 2019 boat was assessed at a value of $5,600 by an appraiser who was hired by the Pinos’ insurance company. Similarly built models of the Robalo boat are currently valued at well over $100,000.
The family attorney, Andrew Mescolotto, contends that Pino lost control of the boat after a larger boat coming in the opposite direction caused a wake, forcing Pino to lose control of his vessel. Pino contends that he tried to correct the course but was unable to do so.
