Two teenage sisters from Florida were involved in a tragic jet ski accident when they lost control and crashed into a concrete dock, despite having been cautioned about safety just moments earlier by officers.
Rachel Aliza Nisanov, 13, and her 16-year-old sister, Aviva, both from New York, were riding a jet ski in Fort Lauderdale when the vehicle unexpectedly went out of control, resulting in a crash into a dock, as reported by NBC 4 News.
The tragic accident claimed Rachel’s life and left Aviva hospitalized in a critical but stable condition.
On Friday, it was disclosed that Marine Unit officers had a ‘proactive’ discussion regarding water safety with the sisters shortly before the fatal incident, according to WSVN News.
The girls were operating a Yamaha personal watercraft when Marine officers noticed a minor infraction, prompting them to stop the sisters as they were on their way to another call, the outlet reported.
Although officials did not specify the nature of the violation, they described the stop as ‘brief and proactive in nature’.
Due to the officers being on another urgent call, no documented report or body cam footage was available, and tragically, the accident occurred a few minutes later.
“I want to be certain we uncover all details regarding this tragedy,” said the sisters’ father, Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov of Queens’ Bukharian Jewish community, speaking to WPLG Local 10 News after the funeral service for his daughter.
Rachel Aliza Nisanov (left), 13, of New York, and her sister, 16-year-old Aviva (right), were warned about safety by officers just moments before they lost control of a jet ski and crashed into a concrete dock while vacationing in Florida
Moments before the fatal crash (pictured), officers en route to another call noticed the girls’ Yamaha personal watercraft commit a minor violation, prompting them to stop the sisters on the water and engage in a ‘brief and proactive’ conversation about water safety
‘It’s very troubling. I didn’t come to Florida to bury my daughter,’ he added in tears. ‘I came to Florida to have a good time with her and now I have to take her back in a casket. It’s not the way I imagined my vacation.’
On Tuesday, Rachel was enjoying a surprise family trip to celebrate her eighth-grade graduation.
She was behind her older sister at the controls with their parents and an instructor on a separate jetski.
Florida law permits a 14-year-old to be on a personal watercraft as long as someone aged 16 or older is driving.
But as the teens made their way back to shore along the Intracoastal Waterway near the 2800 block of Northeast 24th Court, the jet ski suddenly veered out of control.
The Yamaha violently slammed into the dock ahead, launching both girls into the air before they rammed into the structure.
Their father immediately jumped in despite not knowing how to swim.
The tragic accident claimed Rachel’s (pictured) life and left Aviva hospitalized in critical but stable condition
The tragedy unfolded on Tuesday during Rachel’s surprise eighth-grade graduation trip to Fort Lauderdale (pictured: transporting Rachel’s body after crash)
‘Their life jackets were on. They were lying flat,’ the girls’ brother Yonah Nisanov said. ‘My father jumped in and scraped up his hands, feet, his back, all over to save them, and he did what he could.’
‘I saw one of the girls being taken in a stretcher,’ resident Renée Beninate told WSVN News.
‘I didn’t know it was a young girl at the time, but my heart still broke,’ she added.
Both girls were rushed to Broward Health Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
Rachel tragically succumbed shortly afterward, with the Broward County Medical Examiner determining that she died from blunt force injuries sustained in the collision, according to the outlet.
Aviva underwent surgery Tuesday night and remains sedated in the hospital, listed in critical but stable condition, according to CBS News.
‘They’re going to try to wake her up soon and see how she’s doing,’ Yonah told the outlet. ‘But right now, she’s sedated.’
According to the preliminary report, during the ride, the sisters ‘jumped the wake of a passing vessel, lost control, and collided with a concrete dock’ (pictured: jet ski under the dock)
Aviva (left) underwent surgery Tuesday night and remains sedated in the hospital, listed in critical but stable condition
According to the preliminary report obtained by NBC, the the sisters ‘jumped the wake of a passing vessel, lost control, and collided with a concrete dock.
An investigation launched by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) remains ongoing.
Rachel’s body was swiftly flown back to New York, where she was honored with a funeral held Wednesday night at the Bukharian Jewish Community Center in Forest Hills, Queens.
‘Parents are not supposed to bury their children. Children are supposed to bury their parents,’ Shlomo tearfully said after the funeral, according to WPLG News.
‘She was just a kind person,’ Yonah told NBC. ‘A spiritual person. Kindhearted, always going the extra mile.’
Rachel’s body was subsequently flown to Israel, where she was scheduled to be laid to rest in Jerusalem on Thursday.
