Justin B. Shapiro of Leesfield & Partners represents the family of sailboat crash survivor 7-year-old Calena Gruber, who survived the incident that happened on July 28, 2025.
A 7-year-old survivor of the deadly Miami sailboat crash has been released from the hospital, and the lawyer representing her family says the child “stared death in the face.”
Calena Areyan Gruber was on board the 17-foot sailboat struck by a barge near Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach on July 28.
The victims have been identified as 13-year-old Erin Ko Han, 10-year-old Arielle Buchman and 7-year-old Mila Yankelevich. The children were all participating in a Miami Yacht Club Youth Sailing Foundation summer camp, attorney Justin B. Shapiro of Leesfield & Partners told FOX Business.
THIRD GIRL DIES NEARLY WEEK AFTER BARGE STRIKES MIAMI SAILING CAMP BOAT
Calena Areyan Gruber, 7, is seen after being dropped off at the sailing summer camp she participated in prior to the crash that claimed three lives. (Provided by family of Calena Areyan Gruber / Fox News)
The program director listed on the camp’s website did not respond to FOX Business’ request for comment. This year, eight week-long sessions were offered for children aged 7-15, and fees to participate ranged from $450 to $500 per child.
“This is a 7-year-old girl who stared death in the face,” Shapiro said. “She knows how close she was to dying. She was trapped under that barge, and she voices that to her parents repeatedly with crying spells.”
TRAGEDY STRIKES MIAMI BEACH AS 2 DIE AFTER BARGE HITS SAILBOAT WITH CHILDREN ABOARD
Calena Areyan Gruber, bottom right, with her parents and sibling. (Provided by family of Calena Areyan Gruber / Fox News)
Shapiro said Calena is “covered in lacerations, bruises, contusions” and is “in terrible pain.”
He said there were “catastrophic failures” in the highly-congested waters, and the medical examiner ruled the three victims died from “accidental drowning.”
The scene of the sailboat sinking that claimed three lives off the coast of Miami Beach on July 28, 2025. (WSVN / Fox News)
“In an instant, what should have been a day of joy and connection on the water turned into a source of unimaginable grief,” Calena’s parents, Karina Gruber Moreno and Enrique Areyan Viqueira, said in a statement.
“Our hearts will forever remain with the families involved in this most tragic incident,” it said.
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The U.S. Coast Guard is the agency leading the investigation into the crash and told FOX Business in a statement that “the evidence collection phase of the marine casualty investigation is ongoing and making progress.”
No findings about who was responsible for the collision have been released.
“The three lives lost will not be forgotten and continue to motivate our investigative efforts,” Capt. Frank Florio, Commander Coast Guard Sector Miami, said in the statement. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to conducting a thorough, impartial investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the collision.”
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
