The parents of an 11-year-old girl who nearly lost a leg while participating in a summer camp program at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club are suing the club and three of its camp counselors for negligence.
Catherine Viteri’s right leg was “lacerated to the bone and nearly amputated” by a boat propeller last summer while she was participating in the program, according to the lawsuit.
Catherine’s parents – Bolivar and Michelle Viteri – are seeking $10 million in damages and a jury trial in a lawsuit filed Monday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
The incident occurred July 10 when Catherine and other campers were swimming in the waters off the sailing club as a part of a camp activity.
Catherine and another girl were swimming behind a summer camp boat that was anchored when a motorized dinghy driven by a camp counselor arrived with other children and pulled up alongside the anchored boat.
Catherine told investigators from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) that she and the dinghy may have drifted in the water before she realized the dinghy was directly behind her. That’s when the accident occurred, according to the FWC incident report.
A photo of Catherine’s injury, included with the report, shows a deep laceration to the back of her leg below the knee.
The 21-year-old counselor who was driving the dinghy told investigators he had put the boat in neutral and was reaching to cut the motor when Catherine’s leg was sliced by the propeller. Two other 19-year-old counselors were on the anchored boat at the time.
The lawsuit accuses the three counselors and the sailing club of negligence, saying the counselors failed to keep track of the children in the water that day, and that the club itself was negligent for failing to adequately train its counselors and implement “reasonable” policies and procedures to ensure the safety of the camp participants.
“It’s very clear that the sailing club failed the family,” said Justin Shapiro, the attorney representing the Viteri family.
Shapiro said the accident that left Catherine’s leg “permanently mutilated and dysfunctional” is indicative of a systemic issue in the recreational watersports industry.
“I think that the culture in the boating and water sports world in South Florida is corrupted. The culture is to view these activities as typical, everyday activities and that anyone can do it,” Shapiro said. “Supervising children in these activities has to be done in extreme caution because of the dangers that can happen.”
Shapiro is also representing 7-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber who was injured in the barge crash that killed three young Miami Yacht Club campers sailing in Biscayne Bay just 18 days after Catherine was injured. The five girls aboard the boat were overseen by a 19-year-old camp counselor.
“There’s no substitute for life experience,” Shapiro said. “I don’t believe 21-year-olds and 19-year-olds should be in charge of summer camps and children involving the ocean.”
In a statement shared with the Spotlight late Thursday, the club said it is reviewing all of its safety procedures, staffing protocols and training programs as a result of the accident. This weekend, the club is hosting its 16th annual Howler Regatta for young sailors, a two-day event that includes a floating trick-or-treat experience for children.
“We are deeply concerned about the incident that occurred on July 10 involving one of our summer-camp participants. Our thoughts are with the child and her family as she recovers. We are cooperating fully with authorities and reviewing all of our safety procedures, staffing protocols and training for our youth programs,” the sailing club said in the statement.
“While the legal process is underway, our priority remains the safety and well-being of our members and youth program participants. We recognize the news about the incident has understandably caused concern in our community. While we remain committed to our programming and fun events like the Howler Regatta, we also know that right now safety is one of our foremost tasks.”
Editor’s Note: This story was updated on October 23 after publication to include a statement provided by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club.
19 and 21 year olds should not be in charge of summer camps? What? I guess Mr. Shapiro has never attended a summer camp. Listening to an ambulance chaser like Shapiro is a waste of time. This is a terrible tragedy for all concerned, but to pretend that summer camps all over this country should not be hiring young people to run their programs is completely divorced from reality.
I have coached rowers, boys and girls, at every level, from Middle and High School through College and can attest that all on-water activities include some element of danger and sheer chance. There is simply no way to eliminate entirely the chance of injuries like the terrible one suffered by this young sailor.
It is idiotic to conclude that 19 to 21 year olds shouldn’t be coaching and supervising younger people trying to learn their sport. Who else will do it? Drug testing, yes. Insurance, yes. But the alternative suggested by this attorney will just create more unhealthy couch potatoes of our youth.
I will be watching carefully to see if one or more of our City commissioners use this $10M lawsuit to suggest that the Sailing Club’s pending lease renewal be denied, and this “valuable property” be put to better use, maybe as part of Regatta Harbour also featured in this issue of the Spotlight.