Couple killed in crash after their jet-ski hits tour boat

Middle-aged couple on vacation are killed in horror boating crash after their jet-ski hits 59-foot dolphin tour boat 'dead center'

Ramana Gadiraju, 50, and his female passenger Shubhada Kulkarni, 49, both of Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania died when they hit a tour boat

The boat was taking tourists on a dolphin sightseeing cruise in Clearwater, Florida at around 6:10 p.m. Saturday
The captain of the boat said he cut his engine after spotting the jet-ski, but could not avoid a collision

He retrieved the victims from the water and attempted CPR, but they were later pronounced dead by paramedics

By Paul Thompson

A Pennsylvania couple who were on vacation in Florida have been killed in a horrifying accident after their jet-ski slammed into a tour boat.

Ramana Gadiraju, 50, and his female passenger Shubhada Kulkarni, 49, both of Lower Gwynedd, died when they hit a double decker tour boat taking tourists on a dolphin sightseeing cruise at around 6:10 p.m. Saturday.

The couple have a son at college.

Witnesses told officials the victims were racing with another jet ski which narrowly avoided hitting the tour boat.

Some suggested the two jet-skis were involved in a game of 'chicken' though authorities have not confirmed this.

The captain of the boat said he cut his engine after spotting the jet-skis, but could not avoid a collision.

The 10-foot water scooter was traveling south in the Clearwater channel while the 59-foot tour boat was traveling north, authorities said, and the jet-ski struck the 'dead center front' of the boat.

The captain retrieved the victims from the water and attempted CPR, but they were later pronounced dead by paramedics.

None of the 70 to 80 passengers aboard the tour boat, run by Tropics Boat Tours, were injured.

The accident took place near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway bridge in Clearwater.

Many of the tourists on board the boat were left shaken after the accident.

Tour boat owner Trisha Rodriguez was in tears as she left the boat.

'Our thoughts and our prayers are with the family affected by this tragic accident,' she said.

'This has never happened to us before. It's a tragedy.'

On its Facebook page on Sunday, the tour company said it 'extends ...heartfelt thoughts and prayers to all the family members, passengers and crew affected by the tragic accident that occurred yesterday.'

Rodriguez said all the Tropics Boat Tours cruises on Sunday were canceled out of respect to the deceased.

Wildlife commission spokesman Baryl Martin said authorities were continuing their investigation.

'There's no determination of fault until the investigation is complete,' he told the Tampa Bay Times.

Martin added the incident should remind everyone of the hazards of personal watercraft.


It is the second fatal accident this month involving a water scooter in the area.

Katie Yale, 15, of Seminole died after a Labor Day collision between the inner tube she was riding on Lake Seminole and a personal watercraft.

And in March last year Victor Vazquez, 40, of Indian Rocks Beach died after the personal watercraft he was riding struck a channel marker in the Intracoastal Waterway in Indian Rocks Beach.

Vazquez was a passenger. The driver, Robert Turnbull, 35, of Indian Rocks Beach, was intoxicated, authorities said, and was charged with boating under the influence, manslaughter and vessel homicide.

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