Editor’s note: Reporters updated this story Monday morning.
Three Cape Coral residents are dead after a boating accident on the Caloosahatchee River during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
A fourth Cape Coral person who was on the boat when it flipped remained in critical but stable condition Monday morning, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The MTI 390 powerboat flipped around 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, sending all four people into the water, said Bradley Johnson, public information officer for FWC, which led the search and rescue mission and is in charge of the investigation. The incident happened near the Cape Coral Yacht Club between Cape Coral and Fort Myers.
Brenna J. Millett, 49, and Rebecca J. Knight, 48, were taken to a local hospital and died Saturday night. Neal A. Kirby, 45, was the only survivor.
FWC’s dive team found the body of Cape Coral resident Craig A. Millett, 56, around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, Johnson said. The searchers found him submerged near Redfish Point. Millett owned the boat, he said.
Johnson expressed the FWC’s sympathies for the families of those involved, “Our thoughts are with them.”
What happened and who was involved?
The boat flipped in the Caloosahatchee River off Cape Coral in what appeared to be a single-vessel accident, Johnson said.
Not much more than that has been confirmed, Johnson said, including who was driving the boat.
“Investigators are working on that,” Johnson said. Looking at speed, who was driving, what caused the boat to flip, “they are still trying to gather all that.”
The outboard motors appear to have come off the vessel during the incident, Johnson said.
Other agencies involved include the Lee County sheriff’s Department, Cape Coral Police Department, Cape Coral Fire Department, Sanibel Police Department, Matlacha Fire Department, Iona McGregor Fire District and the U.S. Coast Guard, Johnson said.
“We couldn’t have done it without their help,” he said.
Other boaters helped after the accident, Johnson said. Social media posts confirmed that some people stopped.
“I know there were good Samaritans immediately that saw it and rushed to help,” he said.
Sea Tow, a boat towing and water assistance company, took the boat away from the scene and took it to an evidence facility for investigation, Johnson said. Having the boat will help investigators, he said.
FWC will continue to be the lead investigators, Johnson said.
“There’s a lot of information we have to sift through,” he said.
With reporting by Stacey Henson and Mark H. Bickel.
J. Kyle Foster is a senior growth & development reporter for The News-Press & Naples Daily New. Reach her by emailing jfoster1@usatodayco.com. Andrew West is a photojournalist for both newspapers. Reach him at Awest@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Three dead in Cape Coral boat accident; 1 person in critical condition
Reporting by J. Kyle Foster and Andrew West, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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