A prominent Pensacola businessman died and several family members were hurt when his boat went airborne over a wave, slammed down and splintered apart on Santa Rosa Sound on Saturday, March 30.
Witnesses told investigators the vessel was traveling so fast that it launched off a wave before crashing down into the chop. Portions of the boat still rest at the bottom of the sound.
Gary Lowry’s fishing buddy of 15 years, Ron Johnson, spoke on behalf of the family and remembered him as an experienced, careful captain — which is part of what makes the crash so hard to accept.
“Great guy, great friend, good father, good businessman. He had it all going for him. We’re going to miss him,” Johnson said. “He has been in all kinds of weather, and knows and understands the seas… He was a very safe boater, and how something like this could happen? It’s hard to understand.”
Family members hospitalized
Everyone aboard was injured in the crash. Lowry’s teenage granddaughter Cierra suffered vertebrae injuries; Johnson said doctors expect her to fully recover and return to cheerleading. Lowry’s son Scott, who works in the family construction business, was also hospitalized with a severely broken jaw that will remain wired shut for six to eight weeks. Johnson said he expects everyone injured to recover.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it will conduct an underwater crime scene investigation at the wreckage site as it works to determine what caused the vessel to leave the water at such speed.