'Generally speaking … a smaller vessel that gets people back and forth to a big vessel, everybody needs a life vest.' 'The first thing that should be looked into is if everyone on board has a life vest,' Moore said. Moore of Coral Gables, a leading Florida maritime attorney, said there are some clear questions for those investigating the blaze. The Island Lady had a number of maintenance and inspection issues before the fire Sunday - including a broken cable and fire extinguisher bracket and improper wiring and identification - but most of them were taken care of immediately or within a few days, according to a Coast Guard Port State Information Exchange report. The damage was estimated at $800,000, the Express Shuttle II a total loss.

'If it was five-to six-feet of water, I guarantee 20 people would have been dead.'

'I really value the captain, because he got us into three-to-four feet of water,' Handzus said. Handzus, 62, of Odessa, said he jumped 10 feet down into the water. 'People were yelling out for life vests.'Īs the fire smoldered on both sides, the crew moved passengers from the deck to the bow. 'It was a real mess for the 70- and 80-year-olds,' he said.

Robert Handzus recalled fear spreading quickly Sunday on the 72-foot Island Lady. 'If we would have taken the time to hand out life jackets,' she said, 'we would be talking several deaths right now.'

The crew didn't even hand out life jackets before passengers jumped overboard. Fifer credited the captain, Michael Batten, with working quickly Sunday to run the shuttle boat aground in the shallows of the Pithlachascotee River. PRIOR FIRE: He still has nightmares: Deckhand recalls prior casino boat fireįifer said that incident was 'a long time ago,' and the company today has daily maintenance routines and a fire training program it shares with the U.S. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mother of two dies after Port Richey boat fireīACK STORY: More on the Pasco casino operator whose boat caught fire After the 2004 blaze, the National Transportation Safety Board investigated and found several safety issues.

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