Body of missing boater found after crash near Howard Frankland Bridge
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The body of a missing boater has been found following a boat crash in Hillsborough County, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirmed Wednesday.
FWC said the crash happened around 4:15 a.m. when a 20-foot vessel with two occupants hit a barge near the Howard Frankland Bridge.
FWC said the boater fell into the water. Following a search, the boater’s body was recovered and they were declared deceased.
“All these bridges in here are actually not in wake zones so you’re allowed to go through them at full speed, which is all good and dandy when it’s beautiful like right now but come through it in the middle of the night and then you have a barge on the other side that’s pitch black, bad things happen,” Michael Ortega, a boater, told WFLA.
The other occupant was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries.
In a statement, FWC expressed its sympathies to the victim’s family and said the investigation is ongoing.
All members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would like to express our sincere sympathies to the family and friends of the victim. This is an active investigation and the FWC will be the lead agency for the ongoing investigation. That is all the information we can share at this time. We will provide an update when we are able to do so.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The FWC, Tampa police, and the US Coast Guard all responded to the incident.
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