Broward County, FL - A Florida boater has been arrested for a drunk and drugged boating accident in August of 2023 that four people injured.
Authorities arrested the boat's operator, 43-year-old John Friedrich Higgins, on two felonies for boating under the influence (BUI) causing serious bodily injury, two misdemeanors for BUI causing property damage, and reckless operation of a vessel.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Higgins was piloting a 30-foot boat named "Royal Gainz" while intoxicated on August 5th, 2023.
The vessel slammed into a jetty at Hillsboro Inlet at high speed around 9:45 p.m., injuring all four people on board.
One passenger sustained a spinal fracture and broken leg, another suffered a broken jaw and laceration, while Higgins himself received a brain bleed and broken ribs.
A passenger told FWC officials they were returning sober from Bimini in the Bahamas, however, toxicology tests showed Higgins' blood alcohol content was nearly twice the legal limit at 0.14%.
Additionally, prescription medication and over-the-counter antihistamines were detected in Higgins' system.
Higgins was cited for improper boat registration display.
He is currently being held on a $25,000 bond in Broward Main Jail.