A South Florida high school senior has died after a boating crash Sunday night off Cutler Bay, school officials said.
Lucy Fernandez, 17, was one of the 14 passengers on a boat that hit a channel marker and capsized near Boca Chita Key. Fernandez, a student at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, died Monday morning from her injuries.
"Known for her smile, larger-than-life personality and signature laugh, Lucy was a joy to all who knew her," Lourdes Academy officials said in an email addressed to the school community. "She was a young woman of faith, well-liked by her teachers and peers, empathetic, faithful and hungry for God.
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Of the 14 passengers on the boat, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue says 11 sustained injuries. Officials said seven people suffered minor injuries, and three were critically injured. The critically injured passengers were airlifted to a hospital in Miami.
MDFR sent more than 10 units to the scene and worked alongside Miami-Dade Police marine patrol units, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to clear the scene.
Sources tell NBC 6 that most of the passengers were teenage students at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy and Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, two all-girls Catholic schools in Miami-Dade County.
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Lourdes Academy identified the others seriously injured as seniors Katy Puig and Coco Aguilar. Another student from Carrollton school also remains hospitalized.
Lourdes Academy held a vigil Monday night for Fernandez and the other students who were hospitalized after the crash.
"Our main focus is to tend to the needs spiritual, emotional, and mental needs of our students and faculty and staff who all loved Lucy and are still very concerned about Katy and Coco," said Sister Carmen Fernandez.
MDFR reminds boaters — especially on Labor Day — to always follow safety protocols, have safety equipment in working order and have safety life jackets.
