Boat captain accused of INTENTIONALLY cutting tether in parasail accident that killed vacationing mom
MARATHON, FLORIDA: Daniel Gavin Couch, a boat captain, has been charged with manslaughter several months after a terrifying video of a parasailing accident emerged. Supraja Alaparthi, 33, died in the accident, while her son and nephew were injured when they took a boat out on May 30.
Shocking details of the accident have come to light wherein the woman, dragged around by the parasail, crashed into a bridge. According to an article by The US Sun, Couch, 49, cut off the parasailing cord that tethered Alaparthi and the two young boys to his boat in order to save his vessel from the extremely windy weather.
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Monroe's County Sherrif's Office has charged Couch with one count of manslaughter for the death of Illinois resident Alaparthi and has held him on $100,000 bond. He was booked into a jail in Florida on Thursday, September 22, several months after the accident, according to CBS Miami News.
Alaparthi had taken her son, Sriakshith, 10, and her nephew Vishant Sadda, 9, out on a boat captained by Couch during the Memorial Day weekend. However, their parasailing adventures took a turn for the worse when the extremely windy conditions posed a threat to the parasail and the boat it was tethered to. In order to save his boat, Couch decided to cut off the chord, prompting the woman and children to be carried away by the parasail.
The three were dragged across the water for some time. Very soon, the wind took them in the direction of the Old Seven Mile Bridge. With no control over the parasail, they crashed into the bridge, resulting in the immediate death of the 33-year-old while the boys were injured. Following the accident, Alaparthi's family filed a lawsuit which alleged that there were 11 family members on board the boat who saw Couch cut off the chord.
According to the attorney representing the family, "All the family members were yelling to the captain hook them, use a rescue device jump in the water, do something to save our family," reported CBS. Those on board the boat saw Alaparthi and the boys "yelling for help as the wind gusted in and took them away from the boat."
A case of wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits was also filed against Lighthouse Parasail, the company that provided the parasailing service to Alaparthi.