The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Law Enforcement Division is investigating a Dec. 13 boat accident that led to the death of Bradenton resident Scott Harris, 57, in the Intracoastal Waterway near Key Royale in Holmes Beach.
Harris and another Bradenton resident, Andrew Wilcznski, 60, were boating around 4:50 p.m. in a small boat when “waves came over the bow and capsized the vessel, causing both subjects to enter the water,” according to an FWC report.
A friend of Harris said Wilcznski wore a life vest but Harris did not.
“Harris was found floating face down in the water before being pulled out by good Samaritans,” the report states.
Manatee County emergency medical services responded and transported both Harris and Wilcznski to Blake Medical Center in Bradenton.
Harris died the next day. Wilcznski was discharged from the hospital the same day after receiving medical attention.
FWC operations and management consultant Hollie Weathersby wrote in a Dec. 17 email to The Islander that an investigation into the accident could take “a few months.”
— Ryan Paice