The family of a child who survived the recent deadly crash involving a sailboat and barge on Biscayne Bay has filed a lawsuit.
The lawsuit, first reported Friday by the Miami Herald, was filed on behalf of a 9-year-old girl who was treated for her injuries on the scene. She is identified as E.Z.
The lawsuit accuses Waterfront Construction — the company that owns the barge — and the Miami Yacht Club and MYC Youth Sailing Foundation of negligence and recklessness leading up to the July 28 crash.
"Although the weather was clear and the water was calm, the barge, being maneuvered by a push tug, made no attempts to slow down or change its course, and it became clear that a collision between the tug, barge, and sailboat was imminent," the suit alleges.
The suit further alleges that the "construction barge and push tug recklessly and carelessly continued forward into the path of the subject sailboat, causing a devastating collision that tipped, capsized, and sank the sailboat."
The other defendants managing the sailboat, alleges the suit, "knew or should have known that allowing unqualified and improperly trained counselors, instructors, employees, and/or agents to oversee young children while they learned to sail in an area filled with boat traffic exposed the children ... to an unreasonable risk of harm and/or death."
The 9-year-old girl, identified as E.Z. was among five other kids who were part of a summer sailing program run by the Miami Yacht Club.
Three young girls drowned after the barge collided with the sailboat. Another girl who was critically injured is now recovering at home.
