The skipper who was piloting a motorboat during a crash off the Amalfi Coast that killed a prominent New York publisher is under investigation for manslaughter, Italian authorities confirmed.
No charges have been filed against the skipper — a still unnamed Italian reported to be a 30-year-old male — but Salerno Chief Prosecutor Giuseppe Borrelli confirmed in a press conference that the man is being investigated under suspicion of causing the wreck.
Adrienne Vaughan, the 45-year old president of Bloomsbury USA, was killed Thursday when the 29-foot motorboat she’d chartered with her family collided with a 130-foot sailing yacht.
Bloomsbury USA is well-known for publishing the “Harry Potter” books.
Witnesses said the motorboat turned suddenly as it was passing the yacht, then collided with the hull.
Vaughan was thrown into the water then struck and killed by a spinning propeller.
Borelli said Vaughan had been sunning on bow of the boat at the time of the impact and was “bounced” into the water.
Vaughan’s husband, Mike White, was injured in the wreck, but their two children made it out unscathed.
The skipper reportedly suffered pelvic and rib injuries, according to Italian media outlets.
About 70 people were onboard the sailboat celebrating a wedding during the collision. Many said they thought the skipper of the motorboat appeared intoxicated after the collision.
Blood samples were taken from the skipper after the wreck to check for drugs or alcohol, but authorities said the results of tests remained inconclusive.
“The results are being evaluated by a consultant of the prosecutor’s office since the data per se aren’t necessarily significant,’’ Borrelli said.
Reports from Italian outlets on Friday said cocaine was found in the skipper’s blood.
A pair of doctors were onboard the sailboat during the collision and dove into the water to help Vaughan and her family.
Nearby boats also responded and took Vaughan to shore, but she died before emergency crews could arrive, Borrell said.
The captain of the sailboat, which wasn’t moving at the time of the wreck, said the motorboat appeared to be speeding.
Footage from the reception on the sailboat showed guests dancing, when the music suddenly stopped.
“What happened?” one woman asked, as a man responded in horror, “This ship collided with us!”
Guests then raced over to the side of the vessel and saw the ruined motorboat next to the hull with Vaughan injured in the water.
“She didn’t have an arm and the nape of her neck was white, as if no blood was flowing,” one witness told he Italian newspaper Corriere del Mezzogiorno.
“It was terrible.”
The New York-based Vaughan and her family were enjoying an Italian holiday when the tragedy struck.
