Doctor Guilty In Boating Accident That Took Man’s Legs
STUART, Fla. — A Treasure Coast doctor has been found guilty of violating navigational rules in a boating accident that caused a man to lose his legs.
Shortly after noon Wednesday, a Martin County judge dealt a guilty verdict to Roger Nicosia.
During Nicosia’s testimony, the emergency room doctor used toy boats to demonstrate his account of what happened Jan. 9, 2009, in the Atlantic Ocean, a few miles northeast of the St. Lucie inlet.
Nicosia said he maintained his course until he saw another boat in his path. The doctor said he wasn’t sure if the boat was disabled. Once he saw the boat begin to move, the doctor thought it was coming in his direction and tried to give it room.
The doctor maintains that he never saw a dive flag until after impact, when his boat’s propeller struck Rob Murphy, severing both his legs.
“Of course, he had absolutely no intention to either hurt anyone or to place anyone in danger,” said Bob Watson, the doctor’s attorney. “I think the evidence was very clear that came out in the courtroom today that the only reason those two boats came close to each other is that the dive boat went in a direction towards his boat.”
Murphy said that when he and his friends were spear fishing that day, they took all safety precautions, and when Nicosia’s boat was headed toward them, they tried to get out of its way.
“I feel very, very relieved that the judge was able to look past all of the hype and all of the attempts at sideshows to deflect attention from the clear facts of this case,” Murphy said.
Murphy said his life hasn’t been the same since the accident.
“It’s been harder than anything I thought I could ever endure in my life,” Murphy said. “If I didn’t have the support system of family and friends that I do, then I don’t know where I’d be.”
Nicosia was sentenced to six months of probation and restitution of court fees.
Filed Under: BUI
