Powerboat Racer Recovering After Crash In South Florida
J.D. Byrider, piloted by Mike Figuero of Satellite Beach, Fla., and Frank Sarro of Palm Bay, Fla., speeds by spectators during the first of three race days at the Key West World Championship Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014, in Key West, Fla. Shortly afterwards, Byrider rolled over and both men had to be rescued. Figuero was airlifted to a Miami trauma center, but is listed in stable condition according to race officials. Sarro was treated and released at a Key West hospital. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)
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KEY WEST (CBSMiami/AP) — Powerboat racer Mike Figuero is in stable condition at a South Florida hospital on Wednesday night after his 30-foot boat rolled over in a crash during the Key West World Championship.
Figuero of Satellite Beach was piloting the J.D. Byrider with throttleman Frank Sarro of Palm Bay when it crashed during the final lap of the seven-lap race on a 4.15-mile course that incorporates Key West Harbor and surrounding waters.
Sarro got out on his own, but Figuero was trapped in the boat’s cockpit and unconscious, according to medical and safety officials for Super Boat International, the event’s sanctioning body. Rescue divers from a medical boat and helicopter arrived on the scene in less than a minute and extricated Figuero, officials said.
They loaded him on the medical boat and he quickly regained consciousness after oxygen was administered, a rescue diver said.
Figuero was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami for tests and is expected to recover, officials said. Sarro was treated and released at Lower Keys Medical Center.
In the Superboat class, Robert Noble of Orlando and Mark Kowalski of Hinkley, Ohio, piloted Stihl to a first-day lead. They trailed Broadco, driven by Chuck Broaddus of St. Clair, Michigan, and Grant Bruggerman of Bradenton until the midway point of the 10-lap race, then pulled ahead and finished with an average speed 99.07 mph. Broadco finished in second.
J.D. Byrider, piloted by Mike Figuero of Satellite Beach, Fla., and Frank Sarro of Palm Bay, Fla., speeds by spectators during the first of three race days at the Key West World Championship Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014, in Key West, Fla. Shortly afterwards, Byrider rolled over and both men had to be rescued. Figuero was airlifted to a Miami trauma center, but is listed in stable condition according to race officials. Sarro was treated and released at a Key West hospital. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)
CMS, driven by veteran Miami racer John Tomlinson with Jeff Harris of Greenville, N.C., placed first in the Superboat Unlimited class. Last year’s world champion Miss Geico, with Marc Granet and Scott Begovich, both of Riviera Beach, finished second.
The 39-boat fleet is scheduled to race again Friday, with the finals set for Sunday.
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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