An 11-year-old Florida girl suffered a horrific death after being thrown overboard and fatally struck by a boat’s propeller while on Lake Osborne in Palm Beach County.
Brooke Mejeur was aboard the 20-foot pontoon boat along with two unnamed adults and two unnamed minors when she was accidentally ejected.
The bow of the boat suddenly sank without warning, sending the young girl into the water before she was fatally struck by the boat’s propeller in front of the other passengers, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
An 11-year-old girl tragically died while boating on Lake Osborne in Palm Beach County, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed. Pictured: Lake Osborne
Brooke Mejeur was aboard the 20-foot pontoon boat along with two unnamed adults and two unnamed minors when she was accidentally ejected. Pictured: Stock photo of a 20-foot pontoon boat
According to a preliminary FWC investigation, two adults and three minors were aboard a 20-foot pontoon boat when the ship’s bow suddenly dropped, throwing the 11-year-old into the water.
Mejeur was taken to shore, but later died of her injuries.
The investigation into Sunday’s incident is still ongoing.
“Our thoughts are with Brooke Mejeur’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time,” FWC said.
Others who were on the lake that day saw the patrol boats milling about late on that fateful day.
Local Florida on the lake, Luke Price said WPTV that he has “been in the water since birth” and has witnessed a handful of boating accidents over the years, but nothing as tragic as this.
“Anything can happen, always take precautions,” he added.
Lake Osborne is a popular destination for recreational boaters, fishermen and nature lovers.
The grim accident comes just days after a Florida rThe real estate developer was hit with a murder charge stemming from a 2022 boating accident that killed a 17-year-old girl and left another disabled.
Miami-Dade prosecutors now believe George Pino, 53, committed “ship murder,” a crime that could land him in prison for up to 15 years if convicted.
On September 4, 2022, Pino was piloting a 29-foot Robalo boat with 13 others on board, including his daughter Cecilia Lianne Pino, who was celebrating her birthday.
The majority of the passengers were Cecilia’s teenage friends.
A Florida real estate developer was hit with a murder charge stemming from a 2022 boating accident that killed a 17-year-old girl and left another disabled. In the photo: The ship capsized and all 14 people on board ended up in the water
Pino piloted this 29-foot Robalo boat. In the photo: The right side of the ship was torn open during the crash
Pino eventually hit a channel marker in the Upper Keys near Boca Chita Key, causing the boat to flip upside down and throwing everyone overboard, prosecutors and FWC officials said.
Nearly everyone was injured, but 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez died and Katerina Puig, who was 18 at the time, was left with debilitating and permanent injuries that prevented her from living an independent life.
According to an FWC incident report, authorities found 61 empty alcohol bottles and cans, an empty champagne bottle and a half-empty liquor bottle on the boat, NBC 6 reported.
Despite this, no one admitted to consuming the alcohol and Pino refused to take a breath test because there was no lawyer present.
A final FWC report released about a year after the crash concluded that Pino showed no signs of impairment, but that he “operated his vessel in a careless manner by violating four rules of navigation.”
For example, he was operating the boat at a speed of 45 to 47 miles per hour, which the FWC said was a factor in the crash.