FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - The calls for help have been released, weeks after two sisters on a personal watercraft crashed into a dock on the Intracoastal in Fort Lauderdale, killing one of them and injuring the other.
Fort Lauderdale Police said 13-year-old Rachel Nisanov died when the personal watercraft she was riding with her 16-year-old sister, Aviva, struck a concrete dock near Northeast 24th Court in the Intracoastal Waterway on Aug. 12.
Moments after the incident, eyewitnesses called 911 to report the crash.
“This is a wave acc– what exactly happened ma’am? Tell me exactly what happened,” said the 911 operator.
“I don’t know. I just drove past it. It’s a two person wave runner accident. Jet Ski. They’re being held by someone that was in a tree. I just pulled up, it looks like it capsized,” said the woman.
“OK, stay on the phone with me, OK? I’m sending rescue now,” said the 911 operator.
Soon after, another person called as he watched from his apartment across the waterway.
“They’re in the Intracoastal Waterway. If you’re sending vehicles there, you’re gonna have to access them by Bayview Drive,” said the man.
“Are they still on the water?” said the 911 operator.
“Yeah, there’s a couple of jet skis helping them out, but I’m in the building across the way so I can’t really see the person, but they hit really, really hard,” he said. “They’re yelling and screaming so I’m assuming someone hurt pretty bad.”
At one point, callers provide an update on the victims.
“One is out of the water?” said a 911 operator.
“Yes, and they are trying to pull the other one out of the water right now,” said a man.
“Were they able to pull the other person out of the water?” said the 911 operator.
“Yes, they’re pulling them out right now,” said the man.
Officials said the family was on vacation from New York when the tragic incident occurred. The girls’ parents were not too far behind them when it took place.
Last Wednesday, Rachel’s family mourned her loss at a funeral in New York. Cameras inside Bukharian Jewish Community Center in Queens captured the father surrounded by grieving family members and friends.
Now, the family is grieving Rachel’s loss and providing support to Aviva, who was able to be released from the hospital on Tuesday evening.
“I’m feeling amazing on one hand that my sister is doing great. On the other hand, it’s terrible that my other sister wasn’t able to make it,” said the victims’ brother Eli Nisanov.
Eli said Aviva’s recovery will continue at home surrounded by her family and community.
“Amazing. We have the best community, family and best people in the world and with God’s help, everything is going to go very quickly,” he said.
He also shared how the family is using their faith to get through this hard moment in their lives.
“God has his way. Everything is calculated and I have no questions. We just don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” said Eli.
The incident remains under investigation by various law enforcement agencies.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.