Man Recounts Deadly Fourth Of July Boating Accident
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A man who was returning from fourth of July fireworks in Biscayne Bay came across a tragic boat crash that took four lives and spoke about his experience.
We knew it was bad there was blood everywhere," said Allan Sabatier.
He along with family and friends were passing on the water after the Fourth of July fireworks over Biscayne Bay where they heard a loud crash and knew something was horribly wrong.
They bee lined in to help.
Sabatier said he did not want praise or thanks for helping, he just heard a boom and saw flairs fly. It was the sign of a fellow boater in distress and it was instinctive to help.
Sabatier said, "They were screaming asking for help..we were screaming to calm down… We finally got a hold of them."
He said the people involved in the horrific fourth of July crash were in shock.
"When we got there, there was a girl in the water," he said. They pulled her out immediately. She was one of the six people on the contender that Florida Fish and Wildlife said crashed into a boat and left it with the gaping hole.
"As I came up I saw a gash and that is why I thought it would sink. We had a nurse on our boat, Nitzie,..she gave CPR to Jason who passed away."
Jason Saleimani was on the boat which was crashed into and so was his fiancé Heather Hanono..who suffered serious injuries. "I was on the radio also trying to get the Coast Guard," said Sabatier.
Also killed were three other people, Captain Andrew Garcia, Victoria Dempsey and Kelsie Karpiak. in their early 20's on the Contender.
Sabatier said, "For me, the scene will be haunting me the rest of my life."
Click here to watch Cynthia Demos' report.
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