A Florida real estate broker has been found not guilty in a deadly 2022 boat crash that killed his teenage daughter’s friend and left another young woman with life-changing injuries.
George Pino, 55, was acquitted Monday, June 22, of manslaughter and vessel homicide charges in Miami-Dade County.
The case stemmed from a Labor Day weekend boating trip on Sept. 4, 2022, when Pino was behind the wheel of a 29-foot boat in Biscayne Bay during a celebration for his daughter’s 18th birthday.
There were 14 people on board, including Pino and 11 teenage girls, when the boat crashed into a channel marker near Boca Chita Key in the Cutter Bank channel.
The impact threw everyone on board into the water.
Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, 17, a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, drowned after the crash. Another teen, Katerina “Katy” Puig, suffered severe injuries that her family says left her permanently disabled. Several other passengers were also hurt.
Good Samaritans rushed to help after the crash and pulled passengers from the water.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Pino was operating the boat recklessly. Assistant State Attorney Laura Adams alleged he was traveling on the wrong side of the narrow channel and had accelerated from 43 mph to 47 mph before striking the marker.
Prosecutors also raised questions about alcohol on board. Investigators found dozens of empty alcohol containers on the boat after the crash, and some teen passengers testified they had been drinking. Pino told investigators he had consumed two beers and maintained he was sober.
A major point in the case was that Pino was not given a breath test after the crash, a detail that later drew criticism of the investigation.
The defense argued the crash was a tragic accident, not a crime.
Pino’s attorney, Howard Srebnick, said there was no evidence that Pino believed he was putting anyone’s life in danger. The defense also argued that witness testimony from passengers, Good Samaritans and first responders showed Pino was not impaired, was not speeding and helped rescue people after the crash, despite suffering a traumatic brain injury himself.
In a statement after the verdict, Srebnick said the “boat crash was an accident, not a crime.”
“We continue to mourn the loss of Lucy Fernandez, pray for those who will forever be affected by this maritime misfortune, and hope that the verdict allows everyone to continue the long process of healing,” he said.
The jury deliberated for less than two hours before finding Pino not guilty. Pino became emotional in court as the verdict was read.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said her office believed Pino’s actions were “reckless, and a crime as defined in Florida’s criminal statutes.”
“Sadly, I know that this verdict brings no comfort to the Fernandez and Puig families who forever must live with the tragedy of what happened,” she said after the verdict.
The crash has continued to haunt the families involved for nearly four years.
Puig’s family filed a civil lawsuit over her injuries, which they described as catastrophic and permanently disabling. According to reports, civil claims in the case have led to major settlements to help cover her ongoing medical care.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also came under scrutiny over its handling of the investigation, including the lack of a sobriety test and issues involving body-camera footage. The agency later changed some policies after criticism of the case.
Pino had originally faced misdemeanor careless boating charges before the case was upgraded to felony counts.
Now, after a two-week trial, he has been cleared of the criminal charges tied to Fernandez’s death, leaving the victims’ families to continue living with the pain of a boating trip that ended in tragedy.
