Tugboat operator in Florida crash that killed 3 kids at sailing camp was on phone, prosecutors say

The operator of a tugboat pushing a barge that T-boned a sailing vessel last year, killing three children on board, was browsing internet marketplaces on his cellphone at the time of the crash, prosecutors alleged Tuesday.

The operator of a tugboat pushing a barge that T-boned a sailing vessel last year, killing three children on board, was browsing internet marketplaces on his cellphone at the time of the crash, prosecutors alleged Tuesday.

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The cellphone belonging to Yusiel Lopez Insua, 46, of Miami, “indicated activity on internet marketplaces” at the time the 108-foot construction barge struck the catamaran the kids were in, prosecutors alleged. Insua is charged with seaman's manslaughter.

“This information alleges a preventable loss of life on our waterways, including the failure to follow basic maritime safety rules and cellphone use during transit at or near the time of the collision,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in a statement Tuesday.