Florida Keys Boat Captain Faces Federal and State Charges After Cutting Parasail Line During Storm
A federal grand jury has indicted a Florida boat captain on seaman’s manslaughter charges for the death of an Illinois woman during a 2022 parasailing accident. The indictment against Daniel Gavin Couch, 52, alleges “misconduct, negligence, and inattention to his duties” led to the death of 33-year-old Supraja Alaparthi.
On Memorial Day 2022, Alaparthi was parasailing with her 10-year-old son and 9-year-old nephew near Pigeon Key when a strong gust of wind took control of the parasail. According to a report, Couch, the boat captain, made the decision to cut the line tethering the parasail to his boat.
This left the three individuals to be dropped from an unknown height and dragged through the water until they collided with the Old Seven Mile Bridge…