Boat Crash in Dania Beach Fl.

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DANIA BEACH (CBSMiami) — According to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, a man was killed and a woman injured after the boat they were on crashed into a piling on a bridge over Old Griffin Road in Dania Beach.
FWC officers say the driver of the boat — believed to be the woman — was traveling west in the Dania Cutoff Canal and trying to make a left turn to head south in the C-10 Canal.
“It’s very early in the investigation but all the physical evidence would put to the fact that speed did indeed play a role in this particular accident,” said FWC Spokesperson Jorge Pino.
Investigators spent the evening cruising the waters looking for evidence and taking photographs as they work to reconstruct the accident scene and survey the boat.

“The boat has extensive damage to the front left portion of the vessel,” Pino said.
Investigators say the woman on board the boat was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover. People who live in this community just south of the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport said they didn’t hear the crash but they said they were surprised to hear that speed would have been a factor.
“It shouldn’t have been,” said Alan Brenden. “It’s a no-wake area.”
FWC says it’s a no-wake, low speed area because of the manatees in these canals.
Neighbors say a sudden death like this is difficult at any time but more so during the holidays.
“It’s very, very unfortunate,” said Edward Shevchuk. “I feel for the family especially at this time of the year.”
Fish and Wildlife officers spoke to the woman at the hospital Friday night trying to understand exactly how this happened.
Investigators have not released the names of the people on board the boat or their relationship

 

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By Adam Sacasa, Sun Sentinel
8:33 p.m. EST, December 21, 2013

A pair of boaters whose vessel hit a concrete piling in Dania Beach on Friday, killing one of them, were a Broward County couple, a state official said Saturday.

David Dada, 56, of Coconut Creek, died when the 18-foot Mariah Bow Rider he was on struck the piling under the Old Griffin Road Bridge, according to Jorge Pino, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The other person on the boat was Dada's girlfriend, Marcella Hewett, 50, of Hallandale Beach, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Pino said.

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One dead, one injured in boat accident along Dania Beach canal


Investigators still are trying to piece together the details of what caused the crash. But Pino said the boat had just turned left to go under the bridge in the manatee zone.

"It's a slow-speed, minimum-wake zone," Pino said. "They were clearly going too fast for that area."


Hewett docked the boat along the seawall in the 700 block of Northwest 14th Avenue before being taken to Broward Health Medical Center, Pino said.

Investigators are interviewing witnesses, as well as Hewett. No other people are believed to have been involved in the crash.

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There are no indications of drugs or alcohol playing a factor in the crash, but it is something investigators are looking into, said Pino.

 

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Dania Beach boat crash leaves woman under investigation in boyfriend's death





A boat crashed under the Old Griffin Road Bridge in Dania Beach on Dec. 20, 2013 leaving David Duda dead.


700 Northwest 14th Avenue, Dania Beach, FL 33004, USA

By Mike Clary, Sun Sentinel
9:37 p.m. EST, January 13, 2014

DANIA BEACH—
After months of mourning his wife, Coconut Creek businessman David Duda once again had a reason to smile, he recently told his family. He met someone for whom he cared.

"He was trying to get on with his life," said Michael Duda of his brother. "I imagine he was happy, with her, going on a boat ride on a beautiful day."

But the date turned tragic when the 18-foot boat in which Duda, 58, and Marcella Hewett were riding plowed into a concrete piling in the Dania Cutoff Canal, killing Duda.

Now Hewett, 50, of Hallandale Beach, faces possible manslaughter charges after investigators said she may have been piloting the 2001 Mariah Bow Rider while under the influence when it crashed under the Old Griffin Road bridge Dec. 20, according to newly filed court documents.

Investigators found several open containers of beer throughout the vessel, an affidavit for a search warrant filed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission disclosed.


No charges have been filed. "Investigators are looking at every aspect to see if alcohol played a role in this case," said Jorge Pino, a conservation commission spokesman. "But operating under the influence of alcohol is against the law, and it's something we see way too many times."

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The search warrants, authorized by Broward Circuit Judge Lynn Rosenthal, allowed investigators to test a sample of Hewett's blood taken immediately after the crash and to obtain her cellphone records. The boat, registered to Hewett, is in police custody.

The boat was heading west when Hewett tried to make a left to head south on the C-10 canal and the vessel struck the bridge support, Pino said. From damage to the boat, speed may have been a factor, he said.

After the crash, Hewett docked the boat along the seawall in the 700 block of Northwest 14th Avenue, where she was seen on a home surveillance video walking around with a cellphone in her hand, according to investigators. She was "manipulating it," investigators wrote, "however it is not possible to see what she is doing."

The crash happened at about 5:30 p.m., but Hewett did not call 911 until about a half-hour after that, officials said.

According to the application for a warrant, "several neighbors stated that they observed [Hewett] walking in the neighborhood and did not request assistance from anybody, despite Duda, the victim, being unconscious in the vessel."

Discovered in the front part of the boat, Duda was declared dead by paramedics at 6:18 p.m.

"There were open containers of beer throughout the vessel and a Broward Sheriff's deputy stated that she appeared to be under the influence of alcohol," according to the search warrant affidavit.

Hewett was treated for minor injuries at Broward Health Medical Center, Pino said.

While Hewett was at the hospital, officials noted in the search warrant affidavit that her daughter, identified as Alicia Juneman, arrived and "stated that she had already posted about the accident on Facebook."

Neither Hewett nor Juneman could not be reached for comment.

Duda, the owner of an air conditioning business that bore his name, was a native of Utica, N.Y., who moved to South Florida more than 35 years ago. He worked as a motorcycle mechanic before studying to become an air conditioning contractor, said Michael Duda.

He was an avid sports fan, particularly of the Miami Dolphins, and in the winter traveled frequently to Colorado to ski, said relatives.

His wife, Sarah, died in March after a long illness, Michael Duda said.

"He loved to travel and enjoyed life at its fullest," the family wrote in a published obituary. "His smile and his love for life, family and friends will be missed but never forgotten."

The Duda family is not focused on any possible criminal prosecution, said Michael Duda, who lives in Orlando. "We all feel like it's over," he said. "We can't bring him back. It was just an accident."

In addition to his brother, David Duda's survivors include his mother, Wanda; a twin, Debbie Riente; and another sister, Joanne Goldsborough, all of Columbia, S.C.

Funeral services have been held.

Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.

mwclary@tribune.com

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