PALM VALLEY, Fla. ? Lakeport resident Frank Moore, 52, and his two sons were injured in what is being called a “mass trauma” boat crash off the northeast cost of Florida that killed five passengers and injured nine more on Easter Sunday.
The lead agency in the ongoing investigation is the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC). Agency spokesperson Joy Hill said Moore and his two sons, Justin Thomas Moore, 23, and Josh Moore, 18, were identified Thursday as Lakeport residents. They were transported to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center.
“Justin and Joshua were released from the hospital this week, a day or two ago. The father (Frank Moore) is still in the hospital, but I don”t know what his condition is,” Hill said.
The three Lakeport men were among 14 passengers on a 22-foot Crownline pleasure boat when it crashed into a docked tugboat, 25 feet in length. According to an FFWCC press release, the incident happened at approximately 7:15 p.m. in the Intracoastal Waterway in St. Johns County, Fla., approximately 20 miles north of St. Augustine.
Frank Moore”s condition could not be verified Friday, but Shands Jacksonville medical staff said he is still admitted at the hospital.
Josh Moore, a junior at Clear Lake High School, and his father were visiting his older brother, Justin Moore, at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach. Hill said most of the boat”s occupants appeared to be friends of the boat owner, Ponte Vedra Beach resident Melvin D. Bethel, 37. Bethel was also among the injured.
The FFWCC press release said five of the injured passengers were trauma patients, and three of whom were airlifted to Shands Jacksonville from the scene. The other two trauma patients and the four additional injured passengers were taken by ambulance to Shands Jacksonville and to the Jacksonville Mayo Clinic.
Hill said two passengers taken to Shands Jacksonville were in critical condition, two were in serious condition and one was in fair condition.
Hill said the group was returning from the Conch House, a restaurant featuring reggae music on Sundays. She said it is unknown who was piloting the boat at the time of the crash.
“We don”t have any definitive cause,” Hill said. “We”re still interviewing witnesses and occupants. We think alcohol was a factor; there were empty beer cans in the boat after the crash.”
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
