By Sofia Saric
Miami Herald
MONROE COUNTY, Fla. — Three teenagers were thrown from a runaway vessel off Islamorada Sunday, marking the second time people were tossed from a flats boat in the Florida Keys in less than three weeks, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
None of the teens were hurt, but the unmanned flats-style boat kept traveling at around 35 mph “in a congested area on a busy afternoon,” the sheriff’s office said. They were thrown from the vessel in waters off Mile Marker 89 between Key Largo and Marathon.
A good Samaritan picked up the teenagers around 1 p.m. while Marine Deputy Nelson Sanchez, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection boat and a TowBoatUS vessel responded to the waters.
“An entangling device slowed the boat, but not enough to stop it,” the sheriff’s office said.
Sanchez approached the runaway boat and matched its speed and course. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent onboard the sheriff’s office boat got close enough to reach the other vessel’s controls and stop it with a long boat hook.
There was a separate but similar event on May 15, the sheriff’s office said. Two people were thrown from a flats boat near Mile Marker 73 and were picked up unharmed by a good Samaritan.
Both of these incidents “could have ended very differently,” Monroe Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in the statement.
“The summer boating season is here,” Ramsay said. “Now is the time to revisit safety procedures and remind yourself of marine laws and regulations.”
Boaters can review safety regulations and tips at www.myfwc.com.
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