‘They’re screaming.’ 911 calls reveal chaos after fatal Broward watercraft crash
Newly released 911 calls reveal the chaotic scene that unfolded after a personal watercraft slammed into a concrete dock last week in Fort Lauderdale, killing a 13-year-old and seriously injuring a 16-year-old. Some of the witnesses tried to save the young sisters.
On Tuesday, the Broward Sheriff’s Office released the calls surrounding the harrowing Aug. 12 crash. Rachel Aliza Nisanov, 13, and Aviva Bracha Nisanov, 16, were riding a personal watercraft in the Intracoastal Waterway when they hit the dock near the 2800 block of Northeast 24th Court.
Rachel died in the crash, while Aviva continues her road to recovery at Broward Medical Center. The cause of Rachel’s death was “blunt force injuries” with the manner as “accident.”
READ MORE: Older sister in Fort Lauderdale watercraft crash continues to recover: officials
One 911 caller relayed to a dispatcher that he saw the personal watercraft crash from across the Intracoastal, and the at least seven people who came to their young girls aid.
“They just kinda hit the dock on their own...but they hit it hard,” he said. “They’re yelling and screaming. I’m assuming someone is hurt pretty bad.”
He continued to describe the crash as “strange.”
“They were kind of in the middle of the Intracoastal, and it looked like they were starting to turn, so they slowed it down, and then gunned it right into the piling,” he said, noting there were no boats around them. “I don’t know if they just kinda lost control or didn’t know what they were doing.”
READ MORE: New York rabbi tries to save daughters in Lauderdale watercraft crash. One dies
One woman was driving by when she saw the chaotic scene right after the crash. One girl was being pulled out of the water, while bystanders tried to help the other.
Some of the people who rushed over to help were an off-duty paramedic from New Jersey and his wife, who is a nurse. They attended to one of the girls when she was pulled out of the water.
The girls were on vacation in South Florida with their parents, who were on another watercraft when the crash happened. Their father, prominent Queens’ Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov, who doesn’t know how to swim, jumped into the water to try to save his daughters.
READ MORE: Sisters in Fort Lauderdale personal watercraft crash were on a guided tour: FWC
The family was on a personal watercraft tour, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state police agency leading the investigation. They initially attributed the crash to the girls’ watercraft “jumped the wake of a passing vessel, lost control, and collided with a concrete dock.”