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Seaman Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Biscayne Bay Crash

7/23/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Yusiel Lopez Insua pleaded guilty on July 21, 2026 to seaman’s manslaughter for a July 28, 2025 crash in Biscayne Bay.
A barge hit a sailboat while tug’s view was blocked, no lookout posted, and Lopez Insua used his cellphone near impact.
Prosecutors seek one year in prison and six months home detention for deaths of three girls—Mila Yankelevich, Erin Ko, and Arielle “Ari” Buchman—with sentencing for Oct. 13, 2026.

History

Historical Context

The 15 April 1912 sinking of RMS Titanic, which killed over 1,500 people, spurred U.S. and British inquiries that mandated lifeboats for all aboard and created the International Ice Patrol in 1913. Those reforms now underpin calls to hold Marine Services’ tug Seafarer and its captain Yusiel Lopez Insua accountable for the 2025 Biscayne Bay collision and to tighten the 1974 Jones Act.

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Story summary

Yusiel Lopez Insua pleaded guilty on July 21, 2026 to seaman’s manslaughter for a July 28, 2025 crash in Biscayne Bay.
A barge hit a sailboat while tug’s view was blocked, no lookout posted, and Lopez Insua used his cellphone near impact.
Prosecutors seek one year in prison and six months home detention for deaths of three girls—Mila Yankelevich, Erin Ko, and Arielle “Ari” Buchman—with sentencing for Oct. 13, 2026.

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