Everglades airboat tour accident, 4 hospitalized

OCHOPEE, Fla. – An airboat hit a tunnel of mangroves in the Everglades, sending a group of people to the hospital Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The group was on a tour with Captain Jack’s Airboat Tours, which advertises up-close experiences with alligators.

Three people were ejected from the airboat around 4:30 p.m., according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Four patients were transported to two separate hospitals with various injuries, according to Collier County Emergency Medical Services. One woman was airlifted to NCH with serious injuries, a FWC spokesperson said.

This is Captain Jack’s Airboat Tours’ fifth accident this month, a witness familiar with the tour company said.

FWC, the U.S. Coast Guard and Collier County deputies are investigating the crash.

Further information was not immediately available.