The U.S. Coast Guard reported that 28 people were injured when two Wild Florida airboats collided shortly after noon on Cypress Lake in Kenansville Monday.
Few details were immediately released about the crash.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 28 people were injured in the crash. In total, 13 people were taken to local hospitals, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.
#Update No life-threatening injuries have been reported. 13 total were transported to local hospitals @HCAFLHealthcare in Osceola and @orlandohealth in St. Cloud. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) August 15, 2023
Other people involved in the crash refused treatment, officials said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Osceola County Sheriff's Office and Osceola Fire Rescue responded to the crash. Coast Guard officials said they were called in to investigate the cause of the crash.
Willie Walker drove up from Miami with his wife Christina to visit Wild Florida on Monday. They planned to do an airboat tour, but realized something was going on.
“There was a line to pay and then the lady had told us she said whoever paid for one come get a refund because nothing is going to happen today," he said.
He says they were kept in the dark about what was going on.
“I went to the truck to get a water and it was like 100 fire engines fire rescue, so we really wanted to do the air boat because she wanted to see the gators and the lady said oh it is cancelled for the day and they said it was due to inclement weather but we didn't know what happened so I just hope everybody is ok," he said.
Kelly Spencer was in the park today and says she’s felt comfortable on their airboat tours in the past.
“It seems like a safe ride it just had to be something tragic or unexpected to happen for something like that," she said.
Wild Florida issued a statement Monday where they apologized to all visitors invovled in the collision, and said that they were cooperating with all agencies involved in the investigation, and that they were also conducting their own seperate investigation into the incident.
"We are cooperating fully with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the U.S. Coast Guard and other state and local authorities as they conduct an official investigation of the incident. We are also conducting our own internal investigation to determine the cause of the incident. Wild Florida prides itself on not just having U.S. Coast Guard-approved airboats but also hiring licensed Master Captains who elevate our safety protocols," attraction officials said in a statement.
"We also want to extend our added gratitude to the many Wild Florida staff members and rescue teams from Osceola County EMS, St. Cloud Fire Rescue, and the Osceola County Sheriff's Department for their swift response," the statement concluded.
This is a developing story and more information will be posted as it becomes available.