3 Young Girls Dead Because Tugboat Captain Was on Phone During Fatal Crash
On July 28, a sailboat carrying 5 girls aged 7 to 13 and a 19-year-old counselor from Miami Youth Sailing Foundation camp stalled in Biscayne Bay near Hibiscus Island — setting up a deadly collision.
Tugboat operator Yusiel Lopez Insua, 46, was pushing a barge loaded with construction materials and a crane. His view was completely blocked — and his phone showed internet activity at the time of the crash.
The barge slammed into the stalled sailboat. The counselor and 2 campers were thrown into the water. The other 3 girls were trapped in the wreckage and pinned beneath the barge despite wearing life jackets.
Rescue divers pulled the trapped girls out. Mila Yankelevich, 7, and Erin Ko, 13, died the same day. Days later, Arielle Buchman, 10, also passed away — making it 3 children dead.
Federal prosecutors charged Insua with seaman’s manslaughter. Court documents revealed no lookout was positioned at the front of the barge, and obstructed visibility was never addressed before the fatal transit.
In August, a survivor’s parents sued Waterfront Construction, Miami Yacht Club, and the Youth Sailing Foundation for negligence. The sailing community called it an “unthinkable tragedy” that forever changed multiple families.
