14-year-old girl dead, another fights for life after slamming into dock on watercraft
.jpg "A teen is dead, another is badly injured after they slammed into a dock in Fort Lauderdale’s Intracoastal Waterway on a personal watercraft. Investigation by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.")
A 14-year-old girl is dead and another is fighting for her life in the hospital after the personal watercraft they were riding tandem on crashed into a Fort Lauderdale dock Tuesday, authorities said.
The girls were riding in the Intracoastal Waterway near the 2800 block of Northeast 24th Court when the crash happened around 3:30 p.m., said Frank Guzman, spokesman for Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.
Paramedics rushed the teens to Broward Medical Center, Guzman said.
One of the two girls, a 14-year-old, died from her injuries, said Arielle Callender, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The agency is leading the crash investigation.
Details about what led to the crash were not immediately available. Authorities have not released the names of the girls.
Personal watercraft are often erroneously called Jet Skis, a popular brand of the small vessels made by Kawasaki.
The crash follows another deadly boating accident on July 28, when a 60-foot barge being pushed by a tugboat crashed into a 17-foot Hobie Getaway off Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach. The sailboat had five summer campers -- girls between the ages of 7 and 13 - and a camp counselor from the Miami Yacht Club aboard.
Three of the girls died in the crash, one has been released from the hospital and recovering from her injuries and a girl and the counselor were treated at the scene.
READ MORE: Lawsuit IDs barge owner in fatal Miami Beach sailboat crash. ‘Preventable tragedy’
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 4:46 PM.
