At least 16 people hospitalized after 2 airboats crash in the Florida Everglades
EAST NAPLES — At least 16 people were hospitalized after two airboats crashed into each other near Tamiami Trail in the Florida Everglades on Friday afternoon, authorities said.
Around 3:15 p.m., the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) was called out to the boating accident in Collier County. According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened in the area south of U.S. 41 East between mile markers 74 and 75.
The preliminary investigation revealed that one of the airboats was carrying 20 people and the other had 13 passengers on board. They collided near Ochopee and injured multiple passengers, the FWC told CBS News Miami.
Sixteen of those passengers were taken to local hospitals. The extent of their injuries was not immediately released.
The circumstances of the crash are still under investigation.
This is the third airboat crash this year in the Everglades. In January, an airboat crash in Southwest Miami-Dade left at least a dozen people with minor injuries. Two months later, an airboat operator was arrested for operating a vessel without a license after he flipped a vessel carrying 10 people through the Everglades in western Miami-Dade County.
