Florida developer's wife agrees to pay $16M for boat crash which killed girl, 17, and permanently disabling second 19-year-old victim

The wife of Florida real estate mogul George Pino has been order to pay $16 million to the family of a teenager injured during a boat crash that occurred while her husband was driving.

Kathya and Rodolfo Puig, the parents of Katerina Puig, filed a lawsuit against the owners of the boat - George and Cecilia Pino - involved in the September 4, 2022 incident that left their daughter disabled.

George, 53, was driving a 29-foot Robalo boat with 13 others on board, including his daughter Cecilia Lianne Pino, when he struck a channel marker in the Upper Keys near Boca Chita Key and killed 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez.

The Puig's sued the Pino's for negligence, claiming George was drinking before the crash and they had provided the teens on board with alcohol. 

Cecilia, 49, was ordered by Circuit Court Judge Migna Sanchez-Llorens to pay the Puig's $16 million with .934 percent interest on Friday.

The parents of Katerina Puig (pictured), filed a lawsuit against the owners of the boat - George and Cecilia Pino - involved in the September 4, 2022 incident that left their daughter disabled

Katerina (pictured in wheelchair), now 19, was left disabled and without the possibility of living independently

George, 53, was driving a 29-foot Robalo boat with 13 others on board, including his daughter Cecilia Lianne Pino, when he struck a channel marker in the Upper Keys near Boca Chita Key

Cecilia Pino (pictured), 49, was ordered by Circuit Court Judge Migna Sanchez-Llorens to pay the Puig's $16 million with .934 percent interest on Friday

Katerina, now 19, was left disabled and without the possibility of living independently, according to the Miami Herald. 

She was a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, where Fernandez attended, and played on the soccer team.

Most of the other girls attended the same high school as the Pino's daughter, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami. 

The Pino's had taken their daughter and her friends out on the boat and were heading back to land when the crash occurred. 

Some of the boaters were able to walk away without severe injuries. They are seen in footage with white towels covering their bodies and heads as they walked to be evaluated.

The uninjured 17-year-olds included: Sarah Emily Gutierrez, Camila Victoria Alvarez, Paula Garcia, Natalia Elena Reed, Claudia Porto Carrero, Carolina Monterrey, and Andrea Knoepffler.

According to a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 61 empty alcohol bottles and cans, one empty champagne bottle and a half-consumed bottle of liquor were found on the boat.

No one admitted to the consumption of alcohol and George declined to have a blood test done at the scene due to not having an attorney present.

George Ignacio Pino, 52, was identified as the driver of the boat and refused to take a blood test at the scene

The vessel capsized, and all 14 persons onboard ended up in the water

A report said 61 empty alcoholic bottles and cans, one empty champagne bottle and a half-consumed bottle of liquor were found on the boat. Pictured: interior damage to the vessel

Lucy Fernandez (pictured), 17, was killed in the September 4, 2022 that flung her into the water

The report stated alcohol was not considered a contributing factor to the crash and George showed no signs of impairment when officers arrived on scene. 

The commission's investigation did determine George was driving the boat at a speed of 45 to 47 mph, which was found to be a factor in the crash.

George has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of careless boating, which he has pleaded not guilty to, reported NBC Miami.

The Puig's and George reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount in February, according to court documents. 

George and Cecilia work for State Street Realty and in a motion to determine confidentiality of court records, the Pino's said media coverage of the crash has been hurting their business.