A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted boat captain Daniel Gavin Couch on one count of seaman’s manslaughter for a 2022 parasailing accident in the Florida Keys that killed Illinois tourist Supraja Alaparthi. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced the charge, which follows a 7 August indictment and adds a federal dimension to an ongoing state prosecution. Investigators say that on 30 May 2022 sudden high winds "pegged" the parasail towing Alaparthi, her 10-year-old son and 9-year-old nephew. Couch allegedly cut the tow line to prevent his vessel, operated for Lighthouse Parasail, from being dragged. The parasail struck the Old Seven Mile Bridge; Alaparthi, 33, died at the scene, and the two boys were seriously injured. If convicted, Couch faces up to 10 years in prison and a US$250,000 fine. He is already contesting state felony manslaughter charges arising from the same incident, with the next hearing set for 9 September. The victims’ lawyer, Pedro Echarte, welcomed the federal case and renewed calls for tighter safety rules in Florida’s largely unregulated parasailing industry.