Recreational Boating Accident off of Port Canaveral: 1 dead and others injured

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — An early morning boating accident off the coast of Port Canaveral claimed the life of an Oviedo man and injured his son Sunday morning.Fish and wildlife agents said the pair were returning from an overnight fishing trip, when they were hit by a second boat around 6:40am, 6 to 8 miles off the coast of Port Canaveral. That boat was driven by Eric Copp, 39, of Merritt Island. Two passengers, Joey and Antonio Giambianco, also of Merritt Island, were on board as well. No one in this group was hurt. But Christopher Diaz, 46, was knocked unconscious while his son Christian Jensen, 22, suffered injuries on his lower legs. A mayday call was sent out and two people in another boat arrived at the scene and pulled Jensen aboard. Two Coast Guard rescue boats from the Port Canaveral station arrived and pulled Diaz on board. Rescue crews applied CPR to the victim and continued until they pulled into the Sunrise Marina in Port Canaveral where EMS crews determined Diaz could not be revived. Jensen was transferred to EMS and taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center where he was treated for the injury and shock. The investigation of the incident has been turned over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — An early morning boating accident off the coast of Port Canaveral claimed the life of an Oviedo man and injured his son Sunday morning. Fish and wildlife agents said the pair were returning from an overnight fishing trip, when they were hit by a second boat around 6:40am, 6 to 8 miles off the coast of Port Canaveral. That boat was driven by Eric Copp, 39, of Merritt Island. Two passengers, Joey and Antonio Giambianco, also of Merritt Island, were on board as well. No one in this group was hurt. But Christopher Diaz, 46, was knocked unconscious while his son Christian Jensen, 22, suffered injuries on his lower legs. A mayday call was sent out and two people in another boat arrived at the scene and pulled Jensen aboard. Two Coast Guard rescue boats from the Port Canaveral station arrived and pulled Diaz on board. Rescue crews applied CPR to the victim and continued until they pulled into the Sunrise Marina in Port Canaveral where EMS crews determined Diaz could not be revived. Jensen was transferred to EMS and taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center where he was treated for the injury and shock. The investigation of the incident has been turned over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.