The parents of an 11-year-old girl, who suffered an injury and nearly lost a leg, filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Coconut Grove Sailing Club.
The young girl was identified as Catherine Viteri, whose parents are suing the sailing camp and three of its counselors after the incident, which happened in July. This involved their daughter being run over by a motorboat that was operated by a camp counselor.
Girl's Parents Sue Sailing Club
While the girl survived the horrific accident, she suffered serious injuries to her leg. Her parents said their daughter can walk but has limited movement right now. The lawsuit notes that on July 10, Catherine's parents said she was run over by a motorboat that was operated by one of the sailing camp's counselors during a swimming session.
The couple added that the victim's right leg was cut to the bone by a propeller on the motorboat that ran over her. The lawsuit now claims that the young campers at the sailing club were not properly supervised, according to NBC Miami.
The family's attorney, Justin Shapiro, said that the propeller of the motorboat ripped the 11-year-old girl's leg down to the bone. He added that the severity of the injuries almost forced doctors to amputate it. He described it as a "gruesome injury."
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Shapiro added that Catherine's leg is now "permanently mutilated," and she will be forced to have "disfiguring scars" and functional problems with the injured leg for the rest of her life.
The attorney said the Viteris' case represents an inexcusable breakdown in the safety and supervision of children. He added that it was "unthinkable" that the camp counselor in charge of the children's safety was the one who actually caused the injury. Shapiro said that the extent of negligence in the case is "extraordinary," the Miami Herald reported.
A Horrific Motorboat Accident
The named defendants in the case include Aden Weinberg and Sara Ortiz Vey, who were responsible for supervising the kids during the swimming session. Shapiro said that while the parents knew there were risks to going out into the ocean, the motorboat accident was not something that they believed would happen.
The tragic accident was one of two major incidents that took place over the summer when disaster struck at a youth sailing camp. Less than three weeks after the motorboat ran over Catherine, three children were killed, as per WSVN.
That incident involved seven-year-old Mila Yankelevich, 10-year-old Arielle "Ari" Mazi Buchman, and 13-year-old Erin Victoria Ko Han. The three kids died after a 60-foot barge that was being pushed by a tugboat crashed into a 17-foot Hobie Getaway sailboat that had five Miami Yacht Club campers onboard.
