13 People Injured After an Airboat Crash at Wild Florida

According to WESH 2 News, a boat crash at Wild Florida this past Monday resulted in 13 people being injured.

What’s Happening:

  • This past Monday at Wild Florida, there was a boat crash that resulted in 13 people being injured.
  • Wild Florida immediately suspended all airboat activity there.
  • According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, two charter airboats crashed into one another.
  • According to FWC, there were 28 Passengers on board, and 13 were taken to the hospital for treatment. Two of them were flown in for immediate care. Everyone who was taken to the hospital has now been released.
  • The U.S. Coast Guard has cleared them to reopen, but Wild Florida has decided to delay the reopening to review the procedures for the airboats until further notice.
  • As of right now, there is no explanation for why these boats crashed into each other.
  • Here's what is currently on Wild Florida's website: "Airboat rides at Wild Florida are temporarily unavailable. Our Gator Park and Drive-Thru Safari Park remain open for guests and can be booked online or in person. Please stay tuned to our website for future updates."

Statement from Wild Florida:

  • "We are grateful to the local first responders and medical teams at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital and Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital who have treated and released all passengers injured during the airboat accident on Monday.
  • We are thoroughly reviewing our internal airboat procedures and have engaged an experienced consultant in boating law and safety to conduct a review of our airboat operations.
  • We look forward to implementing any areas of improvement. While the U.S. Coast Guard has cleared Wild Florida to resume airboat activities, we've made the decision to suspend airboat tours pending the results of these efforts."

Tricia Kennedy
As a huge Disney fan Tricia enjoys having Walt Disney World basically in her backyard. When she's not at the theme parks she is either playing drums or with her dog Yoda. She is a lifelong Star Wars fan and has ridden Star Tours over 270 times.