Clearwater Ferry crash: Attorney for boat operator sends 2nd letter, witness statements to investigators
Boat passengers describe hitting Clearwater Ferry
The attorney for Jeff Knight, whose boat crashed into the Clearwater Ferry last Sunday night, is again defending Knight’s actions in the aftermath of the crash. Passengers on his boat are also weighing in. FOX 13’s Kylie Jones reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A second letter has been sent to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) by the attorney representing Jeffry Knight, the owner of the boat involved in a deadly boating crash Sunday night.
Knight's boat crashed into the Clearwater Ferry, killing one person and sending 10 other people to the hospital.
Knight's attorney, J. Kevin Hayslett, sent a second letter including witness statements to FWC investigators, defending Knight's actions in the moments following the deadly crash.
Deadly crash investigation
The backstory:
Knight was the operator of the recreational boat that crashed into the Clearwater Ferry last Sunday evening near the Memorial Causeway Bridge. It left Palm Harbor father of two, Jose Castro, dead and 10 others injured.
FWC said more than 40 people were on board the Clearwater Ferry at the time of the crash, and six people were on board the 37-foot recreational boat.
Pictured: Scene after the Clearwater Ferry crash on Sunday evening.
First responders with FWC, CPD, the Clearwater Fire Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and the United States Coast Guard all responded to the crash to help passengers, secure the scene and begin their investigation into what they deemed a "mass casualty event."
Fire rescue officials say the crash was declared a mass casualty event because there were more victims than resources at the time.
FWC investigators said they spoke with Knight after the crash, and he and all the passengers on the recreational boat were cooperative with the investigation. Knight even did a voluntary breathalyzer test, which came back with a reading of zero.
FWC says a blood test wasn't done, however.
In one of his letters to the FWC, Knight's attorney said there was no evidence of impairment.
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Letters from Knight's attorney
The other side:
In a letter sent to investigators and obtained by FOX 13 earlier this week, attorney J. Kevin Hayslett wrote, in part: "Immediately after the accident, Mr. Knight directed a passenger on his vessel to call 911, and that passenger remained on the line with 911 for 12 minutes… Mr. Knight tied his vessel to the ferry in order to stabilize it and render aid. He used his boat to maneuver the ferry closer to shore so that first responders would have easier access to the passengers."
FOX 13 has now obtained a second letter from Hayslett to FWC, saying Knight's actions were "fully consistent" with Florida Statute 327.30, which outlines actions boat operators are required to take in the aftermath of a crash.
Hayslett also sent three sworn statements from passengers on Knight's boat.
Several passengers who were on Knight's boat said they had gone to a restaurant to eat earlier in the evening, but they said they left because Knight was worried it was getting dark.
One passenger wrote, in part: "Out of nowhere, as we were approaching the bridge, it felt like we had hit a sandbar and the boat was beached. Everyone on our boat began yelling and I could hear yelling from another boat."
Another passenger said she thought Knight hit a pole or the bridge, but then heard people screaming on another boat. She said that's when she realized what happened, saying: "I stood up and turned around hearing people screaming and saw it was another boat. I heard Jeff screaming, 'Where were their lights, I didn't see them'."
In witness statements, two passengers said that Knight was heard asking where their lights were, referring to the ferry.
A third passenger said she went to look at what had happened and realized Knight's boat hit another vessel. She said Knight was yelling, "They had no lights. Where the f*** were their lights?"
She says she called 911 and remained on the phone for 11 minutes until help arrived. She later said Knight told her to hang up because "they are getting help and that they don't need us anymore but I did not listen until told repeatedly."
Pictured: Scene after the Clearwater Ferry crash on Sunday evening.
The passenger said Knight tied his boat to the ferry and then untied it when EMTs and police pulled up to the vessel.
In the second letter, Hayslett reiterated that once first responders had reached the ferry, Knight left because he noticed his boat was taking on water and was worried it might sink.
Hayslett also said there was an infant on board his boat, and there was concern for the baby's safety.
Passengers said that Knight's boat was later stopped by deputies, who towed his boat to the Belleair boat ramp, about three and a half miles away from the scene of the crash.
In the second letter to FWC, Hayslett said evidence from call logs, the full video footage and sworn witness statements show that Knight acted in compliance with the law.
What's next:
FWC is still investigating the crash.
No arrests have been made at this time.
The FWC is asking for any video footage from the area of the crash, between 8 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. on Sunday.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kylie Jones.
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