Third child dies in boat accident

ASTOR, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) - A third child has died as a result of a boating accident which occurred during a severe thunderstorm Sunday on Lake George at the mouth of Silver Glen Run in Lake County.

Cole Bizuk, 5, of Fernandina Beach died about 7 p.m., Monday, at Florida Hospital in Orlando. Dennis Clayton Lennon, 4, and Ciara N. Puskas, 14, both from Eustis, died Sunday.

Around 5:00 p.m. Sunday a storm churned up 3 to 4 foot waves on the lake causing three boats to capsize, an airboat and two regular boats. Officers say people on all three boats had problems and fell overboard, however, for one group it turned deadly.

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Florida Fish and Wildlife officers say seven people were on board a 21 foot boat when the waves churned up.  The driver of the boat, 37-year-old Dennis T. Lennon from Umatilla, pulled up the anchor while the rest of the occupants went down below in the cabin of the boat. Lennon began to leave as the storm began to produce the large waves and turned to the left attempting to avoid other vessel traffic that was leaving due to the storm. Two waves came over the bow of the boat causing water to build up in the vessel. The boat then took a wave over the side causing it to roll over and capsize trapping the six people in the cabin.

Rescuers arrived and helped upright the vessel and pull the victims out.  The two children who died have been identified as 4-year-old Dennis Clayton Lennon from Umatilla and 14-year-old Ciara N. Puskas from Eustis. Another child, 5-year-old Cole Buzik from Fernandina Beach, was transported in critical condition to Florida Hospital North in Orlando.

A woman on the boat, 36-year-old Ann Lennon from Umatilla, was also taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.  The other two people on board the boat, 7-year-old Cayla Bizuk of Fernandina Beach and 11-year-old Morgantina Garofono of Eustis, were treated at the scene.

Florida Fish and Wildlife officials say all of the children on board except 14-year-old Ciara N. Puskas were wearing life vests at the time of the accident.