MAITLAND, Fla. — A motorboat with eight people on board crashed into a dock on Lake Maitland and injured at least three people early Tuesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
The crash happened at about 4:15 a.m. near Summerland Avenue and Columbia Drive.
Krystyna Vitiello, 45, was arrested and charged with boating while under the influence and serious injury.
She bonded out of jail Tuesday afternoon.
Channel 9 learned Vitiello is the ex-sister-in-law of Florida Sen. David Simmons, whose 18-year-old daughter was on the boat, celebrating her boyfriend’s birthday.
Simmons’ daughter was taken to the hospital for a broken femur and had to have surgery.
According to a police report, several witnesses said Vitiello was operating the boat. When questioned by authorities, she asked for an attorney, but said several people were operating the boat.
One of Vitiello’s family members said Vitiello was distraught about the accident. Investigators said she refused to take a test of her blood-alcohol level.
Police said when they arrived, Vitiello was holding a cloth against one of the teenager’s heads, from which blood was gushing.
Another teenager had injuries to his face. Both teenagers were breathing but unconscious.
A homeowner said he heard a loud crash coming from his back yard, and then saw six or eight people in the crashed motorboat.
“He went back and saw a motorboat had crashed into his dock. There were approximately six to eight people on board,” said Charles Van Camp of the Maitland Fire Department.
Rescue crews said they had to secure the boat so it didn't fall back into the water.
“The boat crashed into the dock. So, it's mostly out of the water and it’s pretty much stuck on the back dock right now,” said Van Camp. %
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Authorities said three passengers were taken to a hospital suffering from significant injuries, officials said.
The other passengers refused to go to a hospital.
A first responder told Channel 9 it was the worst boating accident he had seen on the lake in 10 years.
Sen. Simmons told Channel 9 that the boat is not personally registered to him, but to a property management company he owns. Simmons also said he was not on the boat and “had no involvement whatsoever in this accident.”
Simmons also said that he was in bed at the time of the crash, and that the last time he was on the boat was about a year ago.
Cox Media Group
