Fatal Watercraft Collision In Clearwater

Life_Preserver_2013Investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were busy Sunday trying to reconstruct a wreck on the Intracoastal Waterway on Saturday evening that claimed the lives of two tourists.

Ramana Godabiraju, 50, was killed when the personal watercraft he was operating struck a tour boat near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway, said commission spokesman Baryl Martin. Godabiraju’s passenger Shubhada Kulkami, 49, was also killed. Both are from Lower Gwynedd, Pa.

What caused the 6:10 p.m. collision remains under investigation, Martin said.

The two victims had rented a personal watercraft and while they were on the water, struck the boat, operated by Tropics Boat Tours, Martin said.

Source: The Tampa Tribune