Tragedy struck near the Cape Coral Yacht Club when a catamaran flipped, leaving three people dead, including a man who was missing overnight. The incident unfolded early Saturday evening, prompting a large-scale search operation involving helicopters, dive teams, and multiple agencies.
Trevor Zaminak, who witnessed the crash, recounted the moment the catamaran flipped behind his boat.
“We were just coming through the idol right out front of Gulf Harbor. We looked, turned around, we saw a high-speed catamaran, and it flipped pretty much end over end behind us,” said Zaminak.
Zaminak and his crew immediately sprang into action.
“Immediately we turned around, went to see if anyone needed to be rescued,” he said. “Sadly, we did find someone that needed to be rescued, and brought him on the boat as fast as we could, started giving him CPR.”
He described the tense moments as they tried to save a life.
“I was on the phone with 911 just hoping that we could do everything we possibly could to give him the best chance, and he started breathing again,” said Zaminak.
Red and blue lights have been lining the waters near the yacht club ever since the incident.
WINK News reporter Bridget Bruchalski was on the scene, providing the latest updates.
“FWC says four people were on board when that catamaran capsized. Three were rushed to the hospital, two didn’t make it, and one remains in critical but stable condition. The fourth boater was missing, until dive teams found his body underwater near the flipped boat,” said Bruchalski.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed the recovery of the missing boater.
“FWC dive team recovered the missing boater. The missing boater is identified as Craig Millet of Cape Coral, who has now sadly been declared deceased as a result of the incident,” said Johnson.
The other victims, Brenda Millet and Rebecca Knight, were declared deceased last night at the hospital. Neil Kirby remains in critical condition.
The response to the crash was extensive, involving helicopters, boats, K-9s, and dive teams.
“We hope we did everything we could,” said Zaminak. “We know freak accidents happen, and it’s just a thing that happens on the water.”
The investigation is still in its early stages as authorities analyze the boat, GPS data, engine information, and other factors to determine the cause of the crash.
Stay tuned to WINKNews.com, WINK News App, streaming, and on-air for any new developments on this story.