5 days ago
Girl seriously injured after Biscayne Bay barge-sailboat crash recovering: family
The family of the 7-year-old girl who was in critical condition after a barge slammed into a sailboat carrying summer campers is recovering surrounded by loved ones, her family said in a statement Monday.
Calena Areyan Gruber was released from Jackson Memorial Hospital, her parents Karina Gruber Moreno and Enrique Areyan Viqueira said. The Coast Guard said the girl was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson after last Monday's crash, which led to the death of three young girls. READ MORE: A third child in the Biscayne Bay barge-sailboat crash has died, yacht club says
'We are deeply moved and incredibly grateful for the outpouring of prayers and kindness we have received from the community,' the family said in the statement. 'We now respectfully ask for privacy as we focus on healing and processing this difficult situation.' Shortly after 11 a.m. July 28, a 60-foot barge pushed by a tugboat operator slammed into a 17-foot Hobie Getaway. Five summer campers and camp counselor from the Miami Yacht Club, a nearly 100-year-old club on Watson Island that teaches children how to sail, were onboard. Mila Yankelevich, 7, Erin Victoria Ko Han, 13, and Arielle 'Ari' Mazi Buchman, 10, were killed in the aftermath of the collision, which occurred around 11:15 a.m. between Hibiscus and Monument islands in Biscayne Bay off Miami Beach. A 12-year-old girl and the 19-year-old female camp counselor were treated at the scene. READ MORE: Coast Guard loopholes could be linked to barge crash, maritime experts say
In the statement, Gruber Moreno and Areyan Viqueira said they were heartbroken for the families who lost their daughters in the unthinkable tragedy.
'This is a deeply harrowing reminder of how suddenly and senselessly life can change,' they said in the statement. 'In an instant, what should have been a day of joy and connection on the water turned into a source of unimaginable grief.'
