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The family of an 11-year-old girl is suing the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, which hosted a summer camp where the child was run over by a boat operated by a counselor on July 10, 2025.
Miami Herald
The parents of a girl who nearly lost leg while participating in a summer sailing club is suing the club — and counselors — over an incident that occurred days before a barge hit a sailboat full of summer campers off Miami Beach.
Bolivar Viteri and Michelle Viteri, the parents of 11-year-old Catherine Viteri, are seeking $10 million in damages, according to a lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Monday.
The suit alleges that the Coconut Grove Sailing Club and three camp counselors were negligent and failed to supervise the children, causing Catherine a lifelong disability.
During a July 10 incident, Catherine was run over by a motorboat operated by a 21-year-old counselor, while she was swimming, court documents allege. Catherine’s right leg was lacerated to the bone and nearly amputated by a propeller.
The counselor ran Catherine over, the complaint states, after losing track of the summer campers under his care. The two other counselors were also supervising the children.
“This case represents an inexcusable breakdown in the safety and supervision of children,” attorney Justin B. Shapiro said in a statement. “It is unthinkable that the camp counselor who was in charge of protecting this child is the one who ran her over with a motorboat. The extent of negligence in this case is extraordinary, and we intend to hold the responsible parties fully accountable.”
READ MORE: Lawsuit IDs barge owner in fatal Miami Beach sailboat crash. ‘Preventable tragedy’
The sailing club could not immediately be reached for comment. Information on the club’s legal representation and that of the counselors, was not immediately available.
The accident was one of two major incidents over the summer when disaster struck at a youth sailing camp.
Eighteen days after Catherine was run over, on July 28, Mila Yankelevich, 7, Erin Victoria Ko Han, 13, and Arielle “Ari” Mazi Buchman, 10, were killed after a 60-foot barge being pushed by a tugboat crashed into a 17-foot Hobie Getaway sailboat with five Miami Yacht Club campers — girls between the ages of 7 and 13 — and one 19-year-old female camp counselor aboard.
The crash happened between Hibiscus and Monument islands in Biscayne Bay. The U.S. Coast Guard is the lead agency investigating the incident since it involved a commercial vessel.
The family of a 9-year-old girl who was injured in the collision filed a lawsuit in August against the owner of the barge and tug, the Miami Yacht Club, and the club’s Youth Sailing Foundation.
The lawsuit argues the camp knew or should have known of the “unreasonable risk of injury and/or death” when it took the children on a sailing excursion on Biscayne Bay.
The complaint also states the pilot of the tug was operating the vessel recklessly and should have had a lookout on the bow of the barge knowing he was navigating through waters regularly packed with recreational boaters.
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Grethel Aguila,David Goodhue
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