Fernandez, a student at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, died of her injuries.
“Known for her smile, larger than life personality and signature laugh, Lucy was a joy to all who knew her and a shining light at our school,” her all-girls Catholic high school wrote on Facebook. “The hundreds of people who joined us in the grotto this evening, to pray for the repose of her soul, are a testament to her beautiful legacy of faith, love and sisterhood.”
The boat capsized after hitting a channel marker, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. Everyone on board, including two adults and 12 juveniles, was ejected. Alcohol does not appear to have contributed to the collision, the commission said.
Miami-Dade Police arrived at the crash site first and pulled people — some critically injured — out of the water, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. Juan Garrandes said in a video provided by the fire rescue agency. Police brought them to the island of Elliott Key, where some were airlifted. Fire rescue workers then helped police pull other people out of the water, evaluated them and transported some to hospitals, Garrandes said.
Several people wrapped in white blankets walked off a fire boat docked at Black Point Marina in Homestead, Fla., where first responders evaluated patients, video provided by the fire rescue agency shows.
The status of the 10 injured people was unclear Tuesday. Sister Carmen T. Fernández, Our Lady of Lourdes president, wrote in a letter to community members Monday that two of the injured were also seniors at the school, the Miami Herald reported.
Students from Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami were also hurt. That school held a rosary prayer service Monday evening.
As the sun rose Tuesday, dozens of Lourdes students, dressed in their school uniforms, gathered along the shore to pay tribute to Fernandez, Miami-based television station WSVN reported. Students from Lourdes and other local schools also gathered Monday evening for a vigil.
“For Lucy, her faith was a foundation, and so I think in a time with so much heartbreak and so much confusion and so much loss, I think the only thing that we know how to do or what to do is to come together in prayer,” Lourdes theology teacher Alexandra Diaz told WSVN.