A jet ski crash in Madeira Beach, Florida, led to the arrest of a New York man yesterday afternoon, deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reported. Daniel Patrick Grubert, 48, currently faces charges after his collision with another jet ski operated by 45-year-old Walter Wodzien resulted in injuries to two children.
Grubert, who was enjoying a jet ski ride near Johns Pass, was engaged in a race with another jet ski when the accident occurred at approximately 2:33 p.m., looking away from the direction of travel, investigators said, and by the time he turned around and realized a collision was imminent it was too late to avoid the crash even though he jumped off the WaveRunner in a failed attempt to mitigate the impact. Wodzien's jet ski, which had two young passengers aboard, aged 7 and 8, was hit, sending all three into the water; they were rescued by the Madeira Beach Fire Department, with one child suffering life-threatening injuries and the other with injuries considered non-life threatening, while Wodzien himself was unharmed in the incident.
Following the crash, Marine Unit officers conducted field sobriety tests on Grubert, which they report he performed poorly on, further suggesting that impairment might have been a factor leading to the unfortunate event. As a result of his actions, Grubert was arrested and charged with two counts of BUI Causing Serious Bodily Injury and one count of Reckless Operation of a Vessel, before being booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
