It was a sunny summer morning in Miami, the kind of day where children splash and laugh under a clear sky. But somewhere in the bay just off Coconut Grove Sailing Club, that laughter turned into something darker—a cry for help, terror, and life-changing injury. Eleven-year-old Catherine Viteri had just been dropped off at what should have been a carefree camp swim session when, in an instant, the tranquil waters became the setting of a horror most parents can’t imagine. What followed would lead to a $10 million lawsuit, shocking accusations, and a single moment that altered a child’s life forever.

July 10, 2025: Catherine arrived ready for a day of sailing and swimming at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club’s summer camp program. According to the complaint, Catherine and her fellow campers entered the water to swim behind anchored boats as part of a supervised activity.

Moments later: A 21-year-old camp counselor drove a motorized dinghy to ferry other children nearby. The complaint alleges he lost track of how many children were in the water and where they were. With zero awareness of Catherine’s position, the boat moved directly into the swim zone. One legal filing describes it: “Predictably, having no awareness of the number or location of the children… [the defendant] operated the subject vessel directly into Catherine and literally ran her over with the propeller.”

The injury: Catherine’s right leg was slashed so severely that surgeons later described the wound as lacerated to the bone and “nearly amputated.” Her leg is now, as the lawsuit states, “permanently mutilated and dysfunctional.” The propeller allegedly came within inches of the femoral artery—a near fatal error.

Initial aftermath: Her mother, Michelle Viteri, recalled hearing her daughter’s screams, then the calls to the hospital, the rush, and the realization that everything had changed. “It was the single worst moment of my entire life,” she said.

The legal move: In October 2025 the Viteri family filed a complaint in Miami-Dade County seeking $10 million in damages from the club and three camp counselors for negligence. The suit charges inadequate supervision, inadequate training, and failure to keep count of children in the water.

Club response: The sailing club released a statement saying they are “reviewing all of our safety procedures, staffing protocols and training programs” but offered no detailed comment on the lawsuit.

The shocking twist here isn’t just the injury—it’s that it allegedly happened at the very moment the camp was supposed to be at peak safety. The camp water activity was anchored and supervised. Yet, a counselor decided to drive a motorboat nearby while children were swimming around the anchored boats. The lawsuit reveals that just 18 days later, a separate crash at a youth sailing camp nearby killed three young girls—raising questions of a broader pattern of negligence in summer water-programs in South Florida.

Then there’s the horrifying detail: the propeller didn’t just nick Catherine—it shredded multiple muscles and nerves, nearing the worst outcome a parent can imagine. “So gory you couldn’t show it in a horror movie,” the attorney said.

This incident reveals more than just a tragic accident—it suggests systemic failures: counselors young and inexperienced, lack of proper head counts, water safety protocols ignored, and children in harm’s way. The twist makes you ask: how safe are youth camps really when the “supervision” is so fragile?

Catherine now faces a lifetime of physical and emotional recovery. The lawsuit notes she will require ongoing medical care, therapy, likely adaptations and never-ending vigilance over the leg that was nearly lost. Her parents say there is no playbook for what they are going through.

Public reaction has been swift. Many parents in Miami-Dade are asking whether the swimming and sailing camp culture around kids has become too casual, too trusting, and too dangerous. Camp directors, counselors and youth-activity providers are now under scrutiny.

The lawsuit aims not just to secure compensation—but to enforce change. The Viteris say they want to hold the club accountable and push for sweeping safety reforms so “this never happens to any other child.”

In the quiet after the lawsuit announcement, one question lingers: On a warm summer day, with the bay shimmering and kids ready for adventure, how could things go so catastrophically wrong? And if one camp overlooked basic safeguards, how many others might be one mistake away from tragedy?

As the legal process unfolds, the story remains open-ended—just like Catherine’s road ahead. Her life has been altered, and the ripple effects may change how summer camps, sailing clubs, and water-based youth programs operate. For every parent who drops a child off this summer, the question isn’t just “Will they be safe?” but “What safeguards are really in place?”

And as we watch this case move forward, one thing is clear: something has to change. Because no parent should ever receive that call.