Brais & Brais reported in February, Ted Hanner, 49, of Middleburg, Fl was operating his 18′ Baja motor boat when he crashed into a tree covered shoreline killing his son Travis and son’s girlfriend Halee Mickey. Recently the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) cited Hanner for reckless operation.

The FWC documents reveal that Hanner left the Baja’s controls and was pumping a fuel line bubble at the back of the boat when the collision occurred. Hanner told investigators the Baja’s motor had been cutting out and pumping the fuel bubble was the only way to keep the motor going. The boat was on-plane and was going west about 25 mph when it veered into the north shoreline. Travis Hanner and Mickey, who were sitting in the front of the boat on each side of a large cooler, were each struck in the head and upper body by tree limbs hanging 10 feet out over the water, the report says.

The boat continued all the way under the limbs and struck the tree trunk. The FWC report indicates the impact shattered both of the boat’s windows and pulled the driver’s seat away from the deck, cracked the motor housing and bent the boat controls.Ted Hanner, who was thrown to the deck by the impact, suffered minor injuries. He managed to pull the boat out of the trees and get it underway again while searching for help, the report says.

 


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