Man charged after Keys boat crash that left woman dead, three others injured
FLORIDA KEYS - A man is facing charges after a deadly boat crash last week north of Key Largo left a North Carolina woman dead and three others injured.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, on Friday, around 8 p.m., a 21-foot motorboat carrying four people struck a 34-foot sailboat anchored in Button Sound. The force of the crash sent all four motorboat passengers overboard.
Sydney Cole, 24, of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, was found dead in the water. Three others were rescued with injuries, including 58-year-old Lillian Cairo of Oakland Park, who was airlifted to a Miami-Dade hospital in critical condition.
The man piloting the motorboat, 61-year-old Guy Erdman, also of Oakland Park, had not been charged as of Saturday night, according to the Monroe State Attorney's Office.
Joseph Mansfield, Chief Assistant State Attorney for Monroe County, described the crash as a tragic and preventable incident.
"The motorboat's operator appeared severely intoxicated," Mansfield posted on Facebook. "Alcohol seems to have been a contributing factor in this devastating event."
Erdman's 31-year-old son Christopher was arrested after the crash. According to Mansfield, he boarded the sailboat after the crash and attacked one of its occupants.
"The suspect assaulted a man on the sailboat, leading to charges of felony battery and aggravated assault," Mansfield said in the Facebook post.
That man, identified as 71-year-old William Milner, declined medical treatment for his injuries. Neither Milner nor his wife, Paula, was harmed in the crash itself, according to FWC reports.
"This tragedy underscores the dangers of boating under the influence," Mansfield said.
Authorities continue to examine the circumstances that led to the crash and whether additional charges may be filed
