Boat in Florida goes out of control after passengers fell overboard, deputies say

(CNN) A photo shoot on a boat didn’t go as planned Friday when the three passengers managed to fall overboard, sending the boat out of control and unmanned.

The incident took place on the St. Lucie River, according to a Facebook post from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. The three men who fell off the 24-foot boat were forced to dive under water numerous times because the boat was circling around and nearly ran them over, the post read.

The boat ended up straightening out and sped toward a concrete dock before crashing over it, causing the boat to become airborne. It then crashed into another dock before coming to a stop, according to the sheriff’s office.

By Amir Vera and Melissa Alonso, CNN
Updated 11:02 PM EDT, Sun October 11, 2020

The men who fell off the boat were able to swim to a nearby sailboat. One of the men had minor injuries and no other injuries were reported, according to the sheriff’s office.

A helicopter with the sheriff’s office tracked the boat while directing marine units to the passengers in the water. A deputy on the helicopter filmed video of the boat hitting the dock.

The St. Lucie River is 7-mile estuary that empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The sheriff’s office said the incident took place south of the Stuart Causeway that connects the city of Stuart with Hutchinson Island and just north of the St. Lucie Inlet, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean.