16 Injured When Two Airboats Collide In Florida Everglades

COLLIER COUNTY, FL — At least 16 people were injured when two airboats collided Friday afternoon in Collier County.

The airboat crash happened at Wooten’s Airboat Tours in Ochopee just after 3 p.m., the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District wrote in a Facebook post.

The business offers airboat tours through private Everglades grasslands, among other things, according to its website.

The airboats were carrying a total of 33 people — one with 20 passengers and the other with 13 — at the time of the crash.

Wooten’s said in a statement on its website that it “regrets” the crash.

“We immediately contacted local area emergency authorities, who responded rapidly to the scene, providing care to the passengers,” the company wrote. “Following the accident, we began working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the sheriff’s office to aid in their investigations, which are ongoing. All of us at Wooten’s offer our sincere sympathies to everyone involved, and wish them a speedy recovery.”

This is the third airboat crash in the Everglades this year, according to CBS News.

This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.