MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A man is facing charges after an airboat he was driving overturned Friday afternoon.
The airboat overturned in the Florida Everglades, which is located in the western part of Miami-Dade County, according to WTVJ. The driver of the airboat made a sharp turn so that those on the airboat could see an alligator.
Multiple people who were on the airboat told WPLG that the driver probably turned too fast. The airboat ended up flipping over.
“(The) boat just flipped on its side and we’re all in the water,” a passenger said, according to the news station. “I was screaming, because the alligator’s right there. Luckily, no one was hurt badly. A couple of scratches here and there — an accident. Things happen.”
The driver was an employee of Cooperstown Airboat Rides. He was arrested because he did not have a captain’s license that the United States Coast Guard issued or any proof of completing a boating safety course, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officials said, according to WTVJ.
At the time of the incident there were about 10 people on the airboat, WPLG reported.
The driver’s identity had not been released, according to the news station.
One person was injured in the incident but was evaluated at the scene, WPLG reported.