Mark Anthony Cruz, 51, and Joel Thomas Arnold, 47, killed, and Vicki Lee Cruz and Rhonda Lyn Silvia injured in boating crash on Lake Jesup at State Road 417 bridge in Seminole County, Florida

Modified Date: 
Mon, 12/29/2014 - 5:55pm
Accident Date: 
Sunday, December 28, 2014

Two dead in Lake Jesup airboat accident

"Our hearts go out to the families affected," FWC spokesman Gary Morse said. "It's imperative that boaters take precautions and know what's going on around them."
Two men were killed and two women injured in an airboat crash Sunday on Lake Jesup, after the driver apparently misjudged the clearance between the water and the underside of the State Road 417 bridge. The vessel crashed into the bridge about 7 p.m., resulting in the deaths of operator Mark Anthony Cruz, 51, of Mims, and passenger Joel Thomas Arnold, 47, of Orlando. Two other passengers, Vicki Lee Cruz of Sorrento and Rhonda Lyn Silvia of Orlando, were injured in the crash. Cruz' wife, Leslie Ann, who also was a passenger, was not injured. The airboat occupants weren't wearing life jackets. The bridge is low and flat with only a slight crest in the middle. Investigators were looking into whether alcohol was a factor in the accident. A dive team from Seminole County located Arnold's body in the murky waters of the shallow lake. They recovered the body earlier today. 
People Involved: 
Mark Anthony Cruz
Joel Thomas Arnold
Vicki Lee Cruz
Rhonda Lyn Silvia
Roadway: 
State Road 417

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