Legal action for youth sailing accident

The Miami Yacht Club and its Youth Sailing Foundation, along with the owners of a construction company, are facing a lawsuit from the parents of a survivor on the sailboat that was hit by a barge near Miami Beach. Three young sailing campers on that sailboat drowned, while two others and their camp counselor survived.

The lawsuit claims that the barge pushed by the tugboat “made no attempts to slow down or change its course… recklessly and carelessly continued forward… causing a devastating collision that tipped, capsized and sank the sailboat.”

Lorenzo J. Palomares, an attorney who represents Waterfront Construction, said they’re working with the Coast Guard on the investigation. The tug was doing 3.5 knots, Palomares said, adding that that detail will come out in a Coast Guard report. Palomares also said the master of the barge has been operating it for over 12 years and that the mate who was serving as a lookout has been with the company for eight years without any major incidents.