image via: youtube

The boat that crashed back September 25th, 2016, which killed Marlins star pitcher, Jose Fernandez, along with two of his friends, was being piloted by Fernandez at the time of impact. Investigators released their findings this week, saying that no evidence pointed to either of the other two men being in control of the boat.

The findings are substantial because the families of the two men, Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Macias, have filed a lawsuit against the estate of Fernandez to the tune of $2 million dollars each. The suit was brought on by their belief that Fernandez was the one driving the boat, despite having a blood alcohol content of .147 at the time of the crash, which is nearly twice the legal limit, along with evidence of cocaine in his system.

Now that investigators have proven it was Fernandez driving the boat, those lawsuits now have something firm to stand on. Before the crash, Fernández, Rivero, and Macias were at a bar called American Social in Miami, where Fernández bought “two bottles of ‘Don Julio’ tequilla, and three other drinks: one well gin, one well vodka, and one up- ‘Kettle One’ vodka.” The trio left the bar at around 2:40 am on Fernandez’s boat.

They also said the boat was traveling at a speed of 65.7mph at the time of the crash. The website for the SeaVee company that made the boat says the top speed of their vessels is between 65-70mph, which means Fernandez had the boat moving to it’s fastest possible speed.

The report included a screenshot of Google Earth that shows the jetty that he hit and the location of the crash. Fernandez apparently did not see the channel marker.

It’s just a sad story that keeps on getting sadder. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to everyone impacted by this tragedy.

Written by @IamJoeSports

H/t Deadspin