Girl killed near Key Biscayne’s Nixon Beach. The famed attraction isn’t a stranger to danger
A girl was killed while water skiing near Key Biscayne’s Nixon Beach after a boater rammed into her and sped away Saturday. It’s the latest fatal incident in the vicinity of the famed tourist attraction.
Boating accidents aren’t unusual in Biscayne Bay, frequently packed with water and sun worshipers on the weekends and holidays.
Adding to Saturday’s tragedy, authorities are still searching for the boat responsible for the girl’s death. The vessel is a center console boat with a light blue hull, multiple white outboard engines and may have blue or dark blue bottom paint, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
UPDATE: Girl killed in hit-and-run boat crash off Key Biscayne was a Ransom Everglades student
Nixon Beach is no stranger to danger, as it boasts a “drink hard, party hard” reputation. Key Biscayne police, in years past, have even branded it as “South Beach on the water.” The sandbar was named after Richard Nixon, who had a home overlooking the pristine shallow area.
Troubles on water near Nixon Beach
Perhaps one of the best-known incidents on the sandbar at Nixon Beach occurred on May 4, 2014, when a 42-foot promotional boat helmed by radio personality DJ Laz got stuck in the sand. 23-year-old Ernesto Hernandez was helping others push the vessel when he was fatally sliced by the engine’s propellers.
Prosecutors didn’t charge DJ Laz, whose legal name is Lazaro Mendez, in connection to the boating accident after concluding that there was no evidence that he was impaired from alcohol or had a “reckless disregard for human life,” which is needed to prove a manslaughter charge.
▪ June 2022: Pablo Castro Diaz, 80, and Osvaldo Castro, 42, were killed and 10 others were injured when two boats collided in the area.
▪ March 2016: Paul Flowers, 31, died after diving into the water to help another boat that had gotten stuck in rocks. His body was located a day after he vanished.
▪ May 2015: A woman was injured after diving head-first off a boat and onto a sandbar.
▪ July 2014: A 32-foot powerboat carrying five people after a Fourth of July outing slammed into a 36-foot vessel carrying eight boaters. The damaged boats then rammed into a third vessel. Four people were killed, and three others were hospitalized.
▪ October 2013: A 45-foot party board with dozens of people on it capsized after a day at the sandbar. Thirty people and a dog were rescued quickly. All had minor injuries.
