State wildlife officers say a late-night run through the Intracoastal near the Haulover sandbar ended in a violent crash and a quick getaway attempt that did not last long. A 42-year-old man is now under arrest after investigators say his speeding boat slammed into a smaller vessel early Saturday, injuring four people, including a child with a hairline skull fracture and a woman with multiple broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Authorities allege the operator then left the scene and tried to whisk his boat away before officers could get a good look at it.
What investigators say happened
According to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report, as reported by the Miami Herald, the crash happened around 1:15 a.m. in the Intracoastal Waterway. Investigators say a 38-foot Donzi heading south collided with a 20-foot Angler heading north. The FWC says the Donzi was moving at roughly 55 mph in a channel posted at 30 mph, a speed investigators note is well over the limit for that stretch of water.
Injuries and response
Investigators told Local 10 that the smaller Angler took the worst of the impact. A boy on board suffered a hairline skull fracture, and a woman sustained a collapsed lung, multiple fractured ribs and a lacerated spleen. Two people aboard the Donzi reported minor injuries, according to investigators. First responders took the injured to area hospitals, and the FWC launched a formal investigation into the collision.
Alleged attempt to hide evidence
FWC investigators say the Donzi’s operator, identified in arrest documents as 42-year-old Daniel Lawson, headed south after the crash and later returned to anchor near the Haulover sandbar instead of going back to the collision site. Authorities allege he then called a towing company and tried to have the Donzi removed before officers could process it, according to the Miami Herald. Lawson reportedly told investigators his boat had been anchored the whole time, but officers say that account was undercut by witness statements, physical evidence and electronic vessel data.
Charges and custody
Lawson was arrested Sunday and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on felony counts that include reckless operation of a vessel causing serious injury, leaving the scene of a boating accident and attempted evidence tampering, records show as reported by Local 10. A judge set his bond at $45,000. The arrest report lists Lawson with a permanent Atlanta address as well as a residence on Bay Drive in Miami Beach, and notes that he is barred from operating a boat while the case is pending.
What authorities and the law say
The FWC collects and investigates boating accidents across Florida and routinely urges boaters to complete safety courses and follow speed zones, according to the agency’s boating pages at MyFWC. State vessel safety law requires operators involved in crashes to stop, render aid and report the incident. Leaving the scene of a boating collision that involves serious injury can carry felony penalties under Chapter 327 of the Florida Statutes. Authorities say the investigation into the Haulover crash remains active as the injured victims continue to recover.
