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Family of 15-year-old killed in boat crash files lawsuit against parents of teen operator

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Published  August 20, 2024 10:23pm EDT
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News

Lawsuit filed months after deadly boat crash

The family of a 15-year-old killed in a boat crash in St. Pete in March is suing the parents of the teen who was operating the boat at the time of the crash.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The parents of 15-year-old Collin Moorefield, who was killed in a boat crash in St. Pete in March, are suing the parents of the 15-year-old who was driving the boat at the time of the crash.

The Moorefield family attorney, Ian Leavengood, has known Collin since he was a kid and says he had such a bright future ahead of him. He says Collin’s parents feel had certain people taken the right actions this tragedy never would’ve happened.

"Colin was a great kid. He was kind of shy and kind, but very bright and incredibly talented," Leavengood said.

His life was cut short on March 3 when the boat he was riding in slammed into a dock in St. Pete near Bayshore Blvd in Shore Acres. Both he and the 15-year-old driver were thrown into the water. The driver survived. Collin later died in the hospital.

Last week, his mom, Breck Moorefield, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Anjan and Katherine Tharakan, the parents of the 15-year-old driver.

"We do not know and have not alleged that anyone was drunk or that they were above any types of limits. We just do believe that there may have been alcohol involved in the crash, and that there may have been distracted driving on the vessel," Leavengood said.

According to the lawsuit, on the day of the crash, the Tharakans threw a family get together and did not ensure that their son did not take alcohol from the gathering or elsewhere with him on their Key West Center Console boat. The lawsuit says the Tharakans bought the boat for their son to operate alone and allowed him to take it out without adequate experience, without adult supervision and without checking for alcohol.

The Moorefields also argue the teen driver admitted to those that helped him out of the water after the crash that he had been looking down at his phone to change the music playing on the Key West prior to impact.

On Monday, the Tharakans filed their own lawsuit in federal court trying to limit the amount of damages they may be required to pay to the value of the boat, about $50,000. It means the Moorefields will need to prove the parents were directly negligent in order to not limit the damages.

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The teen driver has not been criminally charged in connection with the crash.

"This case is still being investigated by FWC. Our office has been in communication with them – there is some additional evidence that needs to be gathered, which is common in a case such as this. Once that additional evidence is gathered, the prosecutors then review all complied evidence to make a filing decision," the State Attorney's Office said in a statement emailed to FOX 13 late Tuesday.

FOX 13 reached out to the Tharakans family attorney for comment and are still waiting to hear back.

In Florida, a 15-year-old can operate a boat as long as they have their boater safety ID card. It's unclear if the teen had it.

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