Violent Powerboat Crash Results in Deaths of 2 Key West Super Boat World Championships Racers

MIAMI, FL— November 10, 2011 – A horrific South Florida boat crash claimed the lives of two offshore powerboat racers who were participating in the Key West Super Boat World Championships that took placed on Nov. 9th According to information provided by the Miami Herald, spectators were watching the powerboat race from Mallory Square, a waterfront plaza in Key West’s historic district, when a 46-foot powerboat went airborne, flipped, and wrecked upside down during the third lap.

Reports suggested Jeffrey Tillman and Bob Morgan, both Missouri residents, were racing Big Thunder, a Skater powerboat equipped with four 1,200-horsepower engines, in Key West Harbor when something went horribly wrong. During the third lap of the Key West Super Boat World Championships, the powerboat allegedly did a barrel roll and landed upside down, crushing the high-speed boat’s cockpit on impact.

Upon arriving at the site of the violent boating accident via helicopter, emergency personnel leapt into the water to rescue the severely injured powerboat racers. The accident victims were subsequently pulled aboard a rescue vessel and taken back to shore, where an ambulance was awaiting their arrival.

Unfortunately, both Morgan—who owns Big Thunder Motorsports Park and Marina Complex on Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri—and Tillman—a Lake of the Ozarks developer— ultimately succumbed to their traumatic injuries and were pronounced deceased at Lower Keys Medical Center.

Beyond the fact that powerboat was clearly traveling at a high rate of speed when it flipped over and crashed, reports did not specify whether any other factors are suspected to have played a role in the fatal boating accident. Investigations are expected to continue.

Statistical data provided by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) indicated 668 boat accidents occurred during the year 2010. Those boat crashes and accidents resulted in 79 boating deaths and 389 injuries. Statistics suggest Florida has more boating accidents than any other state in the nation.


About the Miami cruise ship injury lawyers and boat accident attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.
With four decades of experience litigating the multifaceted personal injury and wrongful death claims of boat and cruise line passengers who are hurt or assaulted onboard, the knowledgeable Florida boating accident lawyers of Gerson & Schwartz are dedicated to protecting the rights of these individuals and fighting to provide them with the compensation they deserve. Working closely with the National Center for Victims of Crime, the Miami personal injury attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. strive to provide justice to individuals who suffer serious injuries in a wide variety of boating accidents.

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