Catamaran Flips Three Times in West Palm Beach Waterway, Injuring Three

Christopher Ruggeriero was on his morning walk along S. Flagler Drive when he heard it: a high-pitched roar out on the water, then a series of violent impacts. He looked toward the Intracoastal and watched a green, 25-foot Liberator catamaran, traveling at an estimated 70 to 80 miles per hour, begin to cartwheel.

"I just heard it, boom, boom, boom, and looked over, and this, this boat was tumbling," Ruggeriero told WPBF. "Two or three people flying out of the boat, flying through the air, landing in the water."

The incident unfolded around 9 a.m. on April 4, roughly 200 yards offshore near Summa Beach Park at 7422 S. Flagler Drive, about a mile and a half south of the Southern Boulevard bridge. The vessel flipped three times and partially sank. All three occupants were ejected into the water; one suffered injuries that resulted in a foot amputation. Two of the three were transported as trauma alerts, indicating potentially life-threatening conditions requiring immediate medical intervention.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the West Palm Beach Police Department, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine units all responded. Battalion Chief Estefan Villalobos, who arrived on scene, noted the waterway conditions at the time: "It looked like the current was pretty fast and it was pretty windy when I got there," adding that the partially submerged vessel was drifting steadily southward. Sea Tow recovered the wreck and transported it to Bryant Park in Lake Worth Beach before it was transferred to FWC's Jupiter location.

The boat had launched that morning from Phil Foster Park. The Liberator is a high-performance power catamaran rated by its manufacturer for speeds exceeding 100 mph, weighing approximately 2,200 pounds fully fueled with its two 49-pound tanks. Randy Corson, a Daytona Beach dealer who customizes Liberators, confirmed he did not sell this particular vessel but vouched for the platform: "I've never had a problem with them or of my customers a problem with any kind of boat issues." A comparable model lists on his site at $174,000. FWC confirmed the investigation remains active; no definitive cause had been assigned as of the date of the incident.

The sequence Ruggeriero described, a vessel running fast then abruptly losing control in conditions featuring wind and fast-running current, captures exactly the risk profile of the South Florida Intracoastal for high-speed power cats. A lateral current load at those speeds can exceed what any hull absorbs cleanly; wind chop compounds instability further. That all three occupants were ejected simultaneously also points to the critical role of seating position and PFD discipline the moment engines climb above idle.

Before running the ICW corridor between Phil Foster Park and Lake Worth this season: pull the morning NOAA forecast for Lake Worth Inlet and build your throttle plan around current and wind data, not just hull capability; seat all passengers low and centered before accelerating out of no-wake zones; treat PFDs as worn underway, not stowed; and if conditions show gusts above 15 knots or a fast ebb current, run the channel as a speed-limited environment regardless of what the boat is rated to do. The Liberator involved was capable of exceeding 100 mph. The waterway that morning, per the battalion chief on scene, was running fast and blowing hard.

Ruggeriero, still processing what he watched, framed it plainly: "I knew it was terrible. I saw people flying through the air. It was very serious." Debris from the impact scattered far down the waterway, a detail that speaks to the force involved.

"It's a good reminder," he said, "that every time you are out there, anything can happen at any time.