Boating Tragedy in St. Pete Friday Night

[cigdaze]

This is gut-wrenchingly horrible. These folks keep their boat where I keep mine. I kind of knew them, albeit only from chatting once or twice at the marina. I show up bright and early Saturday morning to swap out my water pump impellers and change the oil and I see news people and cops everywhere, along with the smashed up boat that was hoisted out; Blood everywhere. A couple good friends of mine was there Friday night when the kids pulled in. One of my buddies had tried to administer CPR to the deceased girl but sadly with no luck. She was DOA. Very sad and tragic.

This airport pier that they speak of is the same one that the Formula guy hit that I had posted about a little while ago. Bad place for a pier, no lighting, you've just got to know the area. Of course, no one in their right (experienced) mind should be moving that fast in this area after it gets dark.

Video:
http://www.tampabay.com/video/?bctid...1&p=2652468001

ST. PETERSBURG — Authorities are still piecing together the cause of a Friday night boating crash that killed a 17-year-old girl.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said alcohol may have been a factor in the accident but wouldn't elaborate. The investigation could take four to six weeks to complete, spokesman Gary Morse said.

Paige Alyssa Davison, a St. Petersburg High School senior, died in the crash. She was aboard a powerboat with four other teens who were injured in the accident.

About 11:30, the boat, a 22-foot Hydra-Sports center-console runabout, entered Bayboro Harbor from the north "at a high rate of speed," officials said.

It smashed into a seawall on the harbor's north side, near Albert Whitted Airport and across from the Coast Guard station, the agency said. The boat managed to get to the Harborage Marina on Second Street S, according to St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue.

The four teens were rushed to hospitals, two under trauma alerts and two with serious injuries.

David L. West, 18, was operating the boat at the time of the crash, the agency said.

"This family really doesn't have any comment," said a man who answered the phone at West's home Sunday.

Paige's friends streamed into her family home Sunday morning. They hugged Paige's mother and clung to each other, and sobbed.

Some wore T-shirts they had made with pictures of Paige on them.

"You are loved and will never be forgotten," one said.

Paige's father, Jeff Davison, said he had a false sense of security when his daughter went out Friday.

"She went fishing before with these people and everything was fine," said Davison, 47, shaking his head.

Paige's aunt, Patty Nardozzi, said one of the girls on the boat, Kelli Delange, visited the Davisons' home Saturday. She was using crutches, Nardozzi said.

Rachel Ryan, also a senior and a longtime friend of Paige's, said Kelli bruised her legs and hurt her back in the crash.

Another girl aboard the boat, Kelsey Bedinghaus, also a St. Petersburg High student, was being treated at Bayfront Medical Center on Sunday.

"She's okay," said her grandfather William Bedinghaus, who was reached at his home.

Several teens crowded into Kelsey's room at the hospital. Her father, Bill Bedinghaus, who was there, said he didn't know enough about the situation to comment.

The other teen aboard the boat was Trey Sorenson, also a student at St. Petersburg High.

Nardozzi said the family has made tentative service plans for Paige. Visitation is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday at the chapel of the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in St. Petersburg. Services are planned for 2 p.m. Friday in the cathedral.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publics...ke-six/1041583

ST PETERSBURG, FL --A boat full of teenagers crashed late Friday night, killing one of them.

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, a 22-foot Hydra-Sports boat was speeding as it entered Bayboro Harbor from the north and collided with a seawall near Albert Whitted Airport.

17-year-old Paige Davison, a St. Petersburg High School senior, was killed in the crash. She was on the school's swim team, and was a lifeguard.

Four other students were injured, including the operator 18-year-old David West.

The teens were on their way back from a shark fishing trip. Aunt Patty Nardozzi said Paige's family is devastated.

"It has been horrible tragedy for them," she said, "It has been hard on the siblings"

The names of the other passengers have not been released.

The boat was able to make it into Harborage Marine on 2nd Street South, where they were met by St. Petersburg Fire rescue.

"The people on the boat were hysterical," said St. Petersburg Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Joel Granata, "They were beside themselves. It was a serious traumatic event, chaotic."

Paramedics stabilized the other teens with back boards and cervical collars. Two of the patients were taken to Bayfront Medical Center as trauma alerts. West was also taken to Bayfront but was released Saturday.

The two teens taken to Bayfront were also released and the condition of a female teenager who was one of the trauma alerts was upgraded to stable, according to Lt. Granata.

The condition of the male teenager who was taken All Children's Hospital was not available, he said.

"There is no description," Nargozzi added, "It is absolutely heartbreaking, that is it."

Investigators say alcohol may have been a factor.

Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/lo...tXN3y0Omg.cspx

[Sean Stinson]

That is very tragic!!!!

[Shanghied Again]

Very sad

[Tom A.]

Sad weekend in boating. Condolences.

[Ratickle]

Dang, too bad......

[Wrinkleface]

[MattBMiller]

Very sad. Too many accidents like this lately....

[PARADOX]

Saw it on the news. Sad situation.
Let there be light on that pier.

[cigdaze]

This is the pier in question. I can't count on two hands how many times it's been hit in the 10 years I've lived here. It's a regular occurrence. I can't believe nothing's been done about it yet.

[Audiofn]

A parent sound never have to burry their kid. Very sad

[SKATIN]

My girl friends family is very close with the Davison's The boat wasn't very old I think 6 months or so... the owner was very drunk and his friend was driving.. I believe Jeff sold it to them from Thunder Marine.. Such a terrible accident I can only imagine what they were going through

[Seadated]

Very sad...just makes me sick to even think about it.

[Bullhead]

Incredibly sad.....if nothing else put some solar powered lights on it

[Sea-Dated]

RIP.... So sad that these things keep happening.

[Magic Medicine]

Rip

[cigdaze]

The latest:

Governor Charlie Christ had written the Coast Guard requesting that they install lights on the jetty, hopefully preventing further accidents.

ST. PETERSBURG — In the daylight, boaters can't miss the jetty that extends from Albert Whitted Airport into the waters of Tampa Bay.

But at night, when the sky and waters darken, all that concrete and stone can seemingly vanish.

Lack of visibility is one of many factors that could explain why a powerboat slammed into the jetty Friday night, killing a 17-year-old girl and injuring four of her teen friends.

"Something as large as that is so simple to come around in daylight, people ask how could you miss it," said veteran fishing guide Brent Gaskill. "But I've come by that wing wall at night, and you have to know it's there and be paying attention to know where you have to swing around.

"There's no contrast between the dark black waters and that dark jetty."

Gov. Charlie Crist, an avid boater himself, agreed. During a boating trip with the first lady Monday afternoon, he swung by the jetty to inspect it himself. Then he asked the Coast Guard to install a light there.

"I'm looking at it right now from my condo," the governor said Monday night, "and you sure can't see it.

"My heart goes out to this poor young girl and her family. It's just a terrible tragedy, and if I can help in some small way, I want to help."

Authorities said it will take weeks to piece together what led to Paige Alyssa Davison's death. But poor visibility could help explain why another boat also slammed into another St. Petersburg jetty Friday night.

A woman and a 5-year-old child were thrown from a 20-foot boat in that crash, authorities said, in an accident two hours before the second, fatal accident.

Alcohol, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, may have played a role in both crashes.

• • •

The first crash took place at 9:30 p.m., the wildlife commission said, in the eastbound channel leaving Weedon Island.

The 20-foot 1994 Tracker boat was going at a high rate of speed, the commission said, when it slammed into a jetty.

Two people were ejected: Sandy Walker, 22, and an unidentified 5-year-old. They were both injured along with the boat's operator, 24-year-old Robert Price, and an unidentified 6-year-old, authorities said. All were wearing personal flotation devices.

The injured were all taken to Bayfront Medical Center. Their conditions weren't available Monday.

The second crash took place about 11:30 p.m. Friday as five teens returned from shark fishing. Their boat also was going fast, the commission said, and no one was wearing flotation devices.

They were heading southwest, turning into the channel leading to Harborage Marina, authorities said, when their 22-foot Hydra-Sports center-console runabout struck the jetty extending from the Coast Guard station at Albert Whitted Airport.

Davison, 17, was killed. Four other teens were injured: Kelli Delange, Kelsey Bedinghaus, Trey Sorenson, and the boat's operator, 18-year-old David West Jr. Bedinghaus was the only teen still at Bayfront on Monday, where she was reported in fair condition.

Sharks are nocturnal feeders, Gaskill said, which explains why the teens were fishing at night. The commission said there was a 6-foot hammerhead shark in the boat.

The boat's ownership was unclear Monday. But while West took the boat out, the wildlife commission said it was still investigating who was at the controls during the crash.

As for the governor's request, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said Capt. Tim Close is "looking at it seriously."

• • •

In Florida, anyone 21 and under needs a boating safety education card to operate a vessel with 10 or more horsepower. The card is mailed to anyone who passes the four-hour online course. Neither operator in Friday's accidents had a safety card, the wildlife commission said.

There are civil and criminal penalties for boating in a careless or reckless manner; operating a boat while legally impaired; or for causing a crash involving death or injury. Operators who allow others to improperly operate vessels can also face charges.

If investigators suspect whoever was at the control was impaired, they would have him submit to drug and alcohol testing. The commission, though, would not say if those actions were taken in either crash investigation.

• • •

Davison was a member of St. Petersburg High School's swim team. Before a meet Monday, she was remembered with a moment of silence at 7:20 p.m.

Many bore black bracelets with the letters "REMEMBER" stamped in white. "RIP" and "PAIGE" were also scrawled on arms, T-shirts and windshields.

Her friends huddled with her aunt, Patty Nardozzi. Her niece grew up fishing, boating and swimming, the aunt said, and as a lifeguard, Davison taught kids to be safe in the water.

"It's so important … for everyone to know that she is just a good girl." Nardozzi said. "It's a horrible, horrible thing to watch a family go through this. It's absolutely the most horrible thing you'll have to see."
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publics...rsburg/1041837

[Shah Mat]

Is this it?

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.asp...5830&encType=1

[cigdaze]

Yes, exactly Shah Mat. That's it.

[MarylandMark]

Sorry to hear...

I am unfamiliar with the area; looks too close to land to be running unless fishing/trolling regardless?

[MacGyver]

God, that really sucks. They need to mark that somehow