A federal jury could soon begin deliberating in the trial of a Florida Keys boat captain charged in a 2022 parasailing incident that left a woman dead.
Read more Florida man suspected in tequila theft busted for DUI, sheriff says
Daniel Gavin Couch is facing one count of seaman’s manslaughter in the death of 33-year-old Supraja Alaparthi.
Alaparthi was parasailing with her 10-year-old son and 9-year-old nephew back on May 30, 2022, when the winds picked up and slammed them into the old Seven Mile Bridge west of Marathon, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said.
With the parasail pegged, the boat captain cut the line tethered to the three victims, an FWC report said. They were dropped from an unknown height and were dragged through the surface of the water until the parasail collided with the bridge.
An arrest warrant said Couch and a crew member had tried to bring Alaparthi and the two kids down with the winch but couldn’t due to the strong winds.
The warrant said after the impact, the parasail was draped over the top of the bridge with all three hanging from the bridge and Alaparthi submerged in the water.
Read more Inter Miami’s Mas says club followed rules in Casemiro signing amid MLS probe
A good Samaritan in another boat responded and was the first to give assistance, cutting all three from their harnesses and placing them on their boat, the warrant said.
The warrant said video footage taken by Alaparthi before the incident showed Couch was aware of the adverse weather conditions when he remarked that the waves were white capping and the clouds were too big.
According to the federal indictment, Couch “engaged in misconduct, negligence, or inattention to his duties as captain, causing the death of a passenger.”
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
Couch also faces a state manslaughter charge in the incident, and that case is still pending.
Read more Bodycam video shows missing divers being rescued in the Florida Keys