Jose Fernandez has been found at fault in his own tragic death.
A 46-page report published Wednesday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission concluded the Miami Marlins pitcher drove his boat while intoxicated in the early morning hours of Sept. 25, 2016, and was responsible for the crash that killed him and two other men.
The commission’s investigation found the boat was traveling 65 miles per hour — exceeding its listed top speed — when it crashed into a South Beach jetty. Investigators found Fernandez’s DNA on the throttle and steering wheel, and his physical injuries matched up to the damage on the boat’s center console, leading them to conclude Fernandez was driving the boat.
“Fernandez operated (the boat) with his normal faculties impaired, in a reckless manner, at an extreme high rate of speed, in the darkness of the night, in an area with known navigational hazards such as rock jetties and channel markers,” the report stated, via the Miami Herald.
The report added that Fernandez would have been charged with several crimes, including manslaughter, had he lived.
Wednesday’s report confirms speculation that Fernandez was at fault for the tragic accident that stunned the baseball world. A toxicology report released in October found Fernandez had a blood-alcohol concentration of twice the legal limit and had cocaine in his system at the time of the crash.
Fernandez was just 24 at the time of his death, which cut short a promising baseball career for the two-time All-Star and 2013 National League Rookie of the Year.
Thumbnail photo via Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports Images
