Jeff Knight is being sued for Clearwater Ferry accident injuries

A passenger from Clearwater Ferry, who was injured when another boat was in the back, submitted a lawsuit against the man from Pinella's County, who said he was at the wheel.

The passenger Nicole Makelel was injured when Jeff Knight fell a 37-foot motor boat into the Maddie's Crossing ferry near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway on April 27.

In the lawsuit it is claimed that the 62 -year -old Knight was “careless and negligent” by operating an excessive speed for the conditions and without consideration of other ships. The complaint also accuses the knight not to maintain a proper viewpoint and take evasive measures and flee from the scene without providing help or providing identification.

Blackness was seriously injured in the crash and is looking for a legal proceedings and compensation of more than 50,000 US dollars, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit seems to be the first of the accident that comes from the accident, in which a two Palmharboer father killed and at least 10 more people in the ferry were injured that evening.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission examines the crash. Knight was not quoted or criminal.

Blackness, a teacher on Pinella's County Schools for about 20 years, was still in the hospital on Wednesday, one of her lawyers, Michael Wyatt, in an interview. It is unclear whether she will be able to return to work, said Wyatt.

“These are catastrophic injuries and she will deal with it for the rest of her life,” he said.

Blackness was sitting on the back of the ferry with her son when the crash happened, said Wyatt.

“They enjoyed their day and this tragic incident occurs,” he said.

On Wednesday, a lawyer who represents Knight, J. Kevin Hayslett, referred the Tampa Bay Times to another lawyer who is civil lawsuits that arises from the incident. This lawyer did not immediately respond to a Voicemail message.

City material of the crash shows that the leisure boat plows into the back of the ferry and overtakes about two thirds of the ship.

Knight stayed at the scene for about 10 minutes, which shows the film material.

The law enforcement agencies found Knight and his boat about 3½ miles away and dragged it to the Belleair Causeway ramp. He voluntarily underwent a breath test that did not show alcohol in his system, said officials.

Knight did not deliver blood sample for testing medication, but was rated by an expert for pharmaceutical detection, which, according to Hayslett, found no signs that Knight was impaired.

In letters to investigators from the Wildlife Commission, Hayslett wrote that Knight Passengers were starting to call 911 on his boat, and that a passenger calls the operator for about 12 minutes.

Hayslett wrote that Knight used his boat to push the ferry in flatter water near the dam, and remained until the arrival of Clearwater Fire -Rescue. After that, wrote Hayslett, Knight decided to go to his home dock, which was about 10 minutes away because he was worried that his boat took on water.

Hayslett wrote that there is “credible concerns” that the ferry was not properly illuminated, especially at the rear, as required by law.

A second letter to the investigators on Thursday contained jury's statements by some of the Knights passengers who wrote that he screamed after the crash that he had not seen any lights on the ferry.

The Wildlife Commission and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, which operates the ferry, have refused to comment on the lights and other problems of the ferry, citing ongoing studies.

In a third letter on Sunday, Hayslett wrote that it didn't seem so that the ferry team gave a warning signal when Knights Boot approached.

A Sarasota couple and their lawyer informed the Times this week that some of these comments seem open to the victims instead of taking over the obligation.

Wyatt said that the contradicting accounts, ongoing investigations and still intangible questions, they caused them to submit the complaint of flaw against Knight, which gives the lawyers the subject of the lawyers.

“As some of the other lawyers said, it seems as if there is a lot of fault on the ferry, but that's exactly why we submitted this lawsuit,” said Wyatt. “We want to get to the bottom and carry out a thorough examination.”

Knight is a LARGO manager who resigned in St. Petersburg after the crash as a minority owner of the Jannus Live event location.