Nearly a year after a deadly collision in Biscayne Bay, the tugboat captain responsible for the crash pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges this week in a Miami federal courtroom. Yusiel Lopez Insua, 46, entered his guilty plea on Tuesday to seaman’s manslaughter for operating a barge with obstructed visibility and without a proper lookout on July 28, 2025, the day that claimed the lives of three young girls from a Miami sailing camp.
The collision killed seven-year-old Mila Yankelevich, ten-year-old Arielle Buchman, and thirteen-year-old Erin Ko Han, who were aboard a Hobie Getaway sailboat as part of a youth sailing camp run by the Miami Yacht Club. The girls were among five children and one 19-year-old camp counselor on the sailboat when it was struck by the barge that Lopez Insua was piloting with his tugboat, known as the Wood Chuck. Two other girls and the counselor survived the crash.
Lopez Insua became emotional as he entered his plea in the federal courtroom but declined to speak with reporters after the hearing. His defense attorney, Walter Reynoso, spoke on his behalf following the proceeding. “My client is deeply remorseful for his conduct, he feels awful about the unimaginable pain and loss suffered by the three families who lost their three very young daughters,” Reynoso said. “Our thoughts remain with each of the families as they continue to endure this profound tragedy.”
The guilty plea came just one week before the one-year anniversary of the tragedy and spares the families from having to endure a trial. Reynoso had previously indicated that his client intended to take responsibility for what happened rather than force the victims’ families through the ordeal of legal proceedings.
According to federal prosecutors, the collision occurred when the sailboat lost wind and stalled directly in the path of the barge. Insua was piloting a 25-foot tugboat pushing a 108-foot construction barge loaded with debris from a seawall demolition project across Biscayne Bay near Hibiscus Island. The barge’s forward view was obstructed by a deckhouse and crane, preventing Insua from seeing the stalled sailboat before impact. Additionally, no one aboard the vessel had been assigned to serve as a proper lookout, which prosecutors said violated basic maritime safety practices.
Court filings revealed that Insua had been using his cellphone around the time of the collision, with his phone showing activity on internet marketplaces at the moment the barge struck the sailboat. The Wood Chuck had also operated in that same area of Biscayne Bay for years, and court documents indicated Insua had previously experienced “near-misses” with other vessels in the same location, suggesting he should have been aware of the visibility limitations created by the barge’s structure.
The sailboat was dragged beneath the barge, and the three girls became trapped in the wreckage. The children drowned following the impact. According to reports, all six people aboard the sailboat were wearing life jackets at the time of the collision, and rescue crews from multiple agencies worked together to recover all of them from the water. Two of the survivors, both young girls, were hospitalized in critical condition but eventually recovered and were released from the hospital.
Mila Yankelevich was the granddaughter of prominent Argentine television producer Cris Morena. Erin Ko Han was a Chilean national who had recently moved to the United States. The three victims were in their final week of sailing camp when the tragedy occurred.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 13, where Lopez Insua faces a maximum of ten years in prison. However, prosecutors have recommended a sentence of one year and one day in prison followed by six months of home confinement under the plea agreement. The judge will make the final determination at sentencing.
The case has already spawned litigation beyond the criminal charges, with the family of one of the surviving victims filing a lawsuit against the sailing camp and the company that owns the barge. Meanwhile, Lopez Insua remains subject to bond conditions including a prohibition on operating any vessel and an order to surrender his travel documents.