A Broward County man has been charged with BUI manslaughter in a Florida Keys boat crash that killed a North Carolina woman and injured three other people nearly six months ago, authorities said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced Wednesday that they had arrested 61-year-old Guy Erdman of Oakland Park and charged him with one felony count of boating under the influence (BUI) manslaughter and six misdemeanors related to the death of 24-year-old Sydney Cole of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, back in December 2024.
“This devastating and avoidable loss of a young life underscores the dangers of boating under the influence,” said Maj. Alberto Maza, the FWC’s South Bravo regional commander. “If you choose to be impaired, we will hold you accountable.”
A boating crash that threw multiple people into the ocean
On the night of Dec. 27, Erdman was operating a 21-foot center console vessel with three passengers traveling through Buttonwood Sound just north of Key Largo. At this time, Erdman collided with an anchored sailboat, throwing all four passengers, including Cole, off the boat.
Good Samaritans were able to rescue Erdman and the other two passengers from the water. After a multi-agency search, Cole was found dead in the water.
In the days following the crash, Erdman had not yet been arrested or charged in the collision. However, his 31-year-old son, Christopher Erdman, was arrested after the crash when he allegedly attacked one of the sailboat’s occupants after the collision.
According to the FWC, an investigation revealed that Erdman was drinking less than an hour before the crash and toxicology results confirmed that his blood alcohol content levels were nearly twice the legal limit at the time of the collision.
