Horrific tragedy ensued after wealthy parents let son, 15, take his young friend out on speedboat with no adults on board, lawsuit claims

A terrible tragedy occurred after a wealthy couple let their 15-year-old son and his friend ride on a speedboat without any adults on board.

Anjan and Katherine Tharakan were throwing a party on March 3 when their teenage son, Christian, invited Collin Moorefield out onto the waters of Tampa Bay in their 18-foot boat, the Key West, without any adults, according to a lawsuit filed by Collin’s mother, Breck.

Christian then allegedly drove the boat at a top speed of 43.5 mph — and crashed into a dock while looking at his phone to change the music, the complaint said. according to the Sun Herald.

The impact sent both boys flying, and Collin remained underwater until a Good Samaritan and a St. Petersburg police officer found him. He was then rushed to a hospital, where he died of blunt force trauma and drowning.

Breck now claims the Tharakans should have known that Christian, now 16, was “ill-equipped, inexperienced or both” to operate the speedboat independently, without supervision or a lookout.

The wrongful death suit also alleges that Christian was under the influence when he was operating the speedboat. It also accuses the teen’s parents of failing to ensure he was sober and that there was no alcohol on the boat before they set off.

According to the organization, Christian sailed past dozens of docks before eventually crashing.

‘Distracted and inhibited by alcohol, [Christian] drove the Key West south, narrowly missing a dock before violently hitting the next dock,” the complaint alleges, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Video footage of the crash showed the boat hitting the pier’s support posts and colliding with another boat that was being hoisted onto a lift, police said at the time.

About four houses down, the speedboat finally came to a stop. A bystander turned off the engine and secured the boat.

Moorefield’s parents have now filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Anjan and Katherine Tharakan and their now 16-year-old son, Christian

However, according to a report from the St. Petersburg police, police never found alcohol on board the boat and Christian showed no signs of intoxication.

The court also issued a subpoena for Christian’s medical records after the accident, but his family objected at the time, Pinellas County court records show.

Christian, who had a boater’s identification card, later admitted he was “driving a little too fast” at the time of the crash and said his phone had lost connection to the speakerphone, so he looked down to reconnect.

He told officers he thought he had hit the boat’s steering wheel and that after the crash he dove into the water to look for his friend before other bystanders came to get him.

Collin was eventually found by a neighbor at the bottom of the water near the end of the dock. He put on a pair of goggles and jumped in, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Christian crashed a speedboat into a dock at high speed, sending both him and Moorefield flying through the air

The Moorefields are now suing Christian on one count of negligence, and his parents on one count of negligent management.

In response, the Tharakans filed their own lawsuit in federal court on Monday, seeking to limit the damages they have to pay to the value of the boat, about $50,000.

That means the Moorefields will have to prove the parents were directly negligent if they want to receive more money.

Meanwhile, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s investigation into the fatal crash is ongoing, and Neither Christian nor his parents have been accused of any wrongdoing so far.

The Public Prosecution Service told Fox 13 The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has been contacted and “there is additional evidence that needs to be gathered, which is standard practice in a case like this.”

“Once that additional evidence is collected, prosecutors will review all of the evidence collected to make a decision on whether to file the case.”