Florida Construction News staff writer
The captain of a tugboat that pushed a construction barge into a catamaran last year, killing three children, has been charged with seaman’s manslaughter, authorities said in a statement Tuesday.
A forensic review of Insua’s cellphone revealed internet activity during the transit, including at or near the time of the collision.
Yusiel Lopez Insua, 46, of Miami, is accused of operating a barge with obstructed visibility and without a proper lookout, resulting in the July 28, 2025, collision in Biscayne Bay.
“Our hearts are with the families of the children who lost their lives in this tragedy,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This information alleges a preventable loss of life on our waterways, including the failure to follow basic maritime safety rules and cellphone use during transit at or near the time of the collision. We will present the evidence in court with care and professionalism. As in every case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Court records show Insua was piloting a tugboat pushing a barge loaded with construction debris across Biscayne Bay when the vessel’s forward view was blocked by a deckhouse and crane. No one aboard was assigned as a lookout.
At the same time, a children’s sailing camp was operating nearby. A sailboat carrying one counselor and five children stalled in the barge’s path after losing wind. Because of the obstructed visibility and lack of a lookout, Insua did not see the sailboat before the barge struck it.
The counselor and two children survived after being dragged under the barge, but three children were trapped in the wreckage and drowned.
Insua faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted of seaman’s manslaughter. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20122.
