Family of friends of a man who was killed last Sunday during a boat crash involving the Fisher Island Ferry will gather to remember his life.
27-year-old Cristian Gaston Fernandez of Cutler Bay will be remembered during a viewing and wake at a southwest Miami-Dade funeral home.
The crash happened around 3:30 am when a 32-foot boat collided with the 146-foot Fisher Island Ferry just east of Pilot House Station at Dodge Island, not far from Port of Miami, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
One of the men on the smaller boat, 29-year-old Angel Dominguez, of Hialeah, was assisted by people on the ferry and taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, officials said. The body of Fernandez was later found in the water.
Family members told NBC6 the two men have been friends for years and that Fernandez’s death is devastating for both families.
Russ Ramirez said he ran into the two men at a yacht party.
“It was like a party, everyone was there to have a good time,” Ramirez said. “We were just talking, having a good time.
He said he was about to get on their boat shortly before the crash but decided against it. Ramirez said he decided to snap a picture to capture the moment but he had no idea it would be one of the last pictures of Fernandez alive.
“I was in shock because it could have easily been me. I could have easily have just gone with them,” he said.
According to an FWC report released Monday, Dominguez was operating the boat and Fernandez was his passenger.
The report said the boat, a 1997 Scorpion center console, struck the ferry, which had three people on board. None of the three people on the ferry were injured.
The report said whether alcohol was involved in the crash was unknown. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of the victims. This is an active investigation,” the FWC said in a statement Monday.
Members of FWC and the US Coast Guard were at the scene for several hours Sunday, rerouting tour groups that were set to depart from a blocked-off area of the nearby Miami Beach Marina.
The crash also had the nearby Port of Miami closed for several hours, leaving hundreds stuck on cruise ships or in terminals.
Comments are closed.