VERO BEACH – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says the boating crash that killed one man happened late Saturday night on the water in Vero Beach.
Investigators say the 17-foot open motorboat, with six passengers from Vero Beach on board, hit a channel marker late in the night.
The impact sent 19-year-old Chance Rivero into the water and injured another person, Michael Ketcham.
The single vessel accident happened just before midnight when the boat was heading north on the Indian River in the Intracoastal Waterway near the 17th Street Bridge.
The vessel then turned around and located Rivero and pulled him from the water. The boat met EMS at the Memorial Island Boat Ramp where the Rivero and another passenger were transported to the Indian River County Medical Center by ambulance.
Rivero was pronounced dead at the hospital due to blunt force trauma sustained during the accident. Ketchum suffered lacerations on his spleen.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing in Vero Beach.
