MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – Two children are in the hospital, and a New York man is facing charges following a jet ski crash Sunday afternoon near John’s Pass.
What we know:
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, 48-year-old Daniel Patrick Grubert was racing another jet ski on a rented 2024 Yamaha WaveRunner near Johns Pass around 2:30 p.m.
Investigators said Grubert was not looking ahead of him and took his eyes off his direction of travel.
When Grubert turned around, investigators said he realized a crash was about to occur and jumped off the WaveRunner.
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Grubert’s jet ski crashed into another rented Yamaha WaveRunner, operated by 45-year-old Walter Wodzien with two children, ages 7 and 8, on board.
Courtesy: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
All three were ejected from the jet ski and recovered from the water by the Madeira Beach Fire Department.
The children were taken to an area hospital, one with life-threatening injuries, and one with non-life-threatening injuries. Wodzien was not injured in the crash.
According to PCSO, Grubert showed signs of impairment and performed poorly on field sobriety tests.
He was charged with BUI causing serious bodily injury and one count of reckless operation of a vessel.
The Source: This storyw as written with information provided by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.