Matt and Stephanie Camarato live in southern Illinois and needed a weekend getaway. So they came down to Miami on Super Bowl weekend.
On Feb. 11, the pleasure craft Obelix and a small passenger vessel Thriller 06 crashed into each other near PortMiami, according to Coast Guard officials. A passenger on the Thriller recorded the collision.
The Camaratos were also on the Thriller. They were two of 13 people rushed to the hospital.
Matt Camarato is still recovering back home with their four children, but Stephanie Camarato has laid unconscious at Jackson Memorial Hospital ever since. Doctors said she sustained a traumatic brain injury.
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“It’s been extremely difficult,” said Stephanie Camarato's brother-in-law, Andrew Camarato. “We’re still waiting for her to wake up and smile and recognize somebody.”
Andrew Camarato and other family members have been traveling back and forth from Illinois to Miami to be by her side.
“You wonder why things like that happen, what could’ve been done to prevent this from happening,” Andrew Camarato said. “We just want Stephanie to be 100% and we pray that that day will happen.”
Stephanie Camarato is a pharmacist who's loved by her customers, her brother-in-law said. Most importantly, she is a mother and a wife who is loved by her children and husband.
Coast Guard officials said it found no safety violations on the Thriller 06, and the Obelix was operating as an illegal charter vessel. The owner of that vessel told NBC6 previously that no one was injured on their boat and wouldn't comment further.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Andrew Camarato said their focus is on Stephanie.
“Everyone wants to point a finger and blame someone but at this point, it’s about Stephanie getting better,” he said. “We are just asking for prayers and whatever help that we can get to make sure Stephanie gets the care she needs.”
Mausner Graham Injury Law PLLC is representing several of the accident victims.
NBC6 reached back out to the operator of Thriller 06 Wednesday night.
A GoFundMe was created for the family.
