The parents of a Massachusetts teenager who died after she was struck by a boat while tubing in Aruba last year are speaking out in hopes of raising awareness and preventing more tragedies, according to local reports.
Cassidy Murray, 13, was tubing on the Caribbean island in March 2022 when she fell overboard, according to multiple reports. The boat driver was approaching Cassidy when she “lost control” and hit the budding teen, her father, Dave Murray, told ABC News.
“She was in the water, she was wearing a life jacket. I waved to her. She was safe,” Murray told the news station. “As [the boat driver] approached Cassidy, just as he reached her, he lost control of the boat. …she threw it at full speed.”
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This undated photo shows Cassidy Murray, who died at age 13 during a boating accident in Aruba. (GoFundMe)
The ship was not carrying any first aid supplies or additional manpower to help, Murray continued.
“If there was a second person in the boat, even if there was a spotter, they would have seen that we would have had the option to slow down or they would have seen as soon as Cassidy was ejected.”
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Local authorities reportedly determined that there was no reason to file criminal charges. The family is now working with the Aruban authorities to raise awareness and stop similar tragedies before they start.
“We didn’t know the dangers. We weren’t aware. We want to raise awareness,” Linda Murray, Cassidy’s mother, told WCVB.com. “If we can save a family, a child, we’ve honored Cass and raised awareness.”
Among the efforts, the Murrays are reportedly asking Aruban officials to establish and enforce water safety protocols, such as ordering a second person to be added to support drivers on water sports boats.
Tourists walk down a street in Oranjestad, Aruba, on August 27, 2013. (LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images)
Murray noted that her daughter “died so tragically, so needlessly.”
“We quickly learned that we have to participate in life even if we don’t want to,” he told WCVB. “Our goal has always been to raise awareness to prevent another family from going through this.”
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Several GoFundMe pages were created to benefit Cassidy’s family following her death.
