HOUSTON — It was supposed to be a sunset cruise on Lake Conroe, but when the weather went bad, a boat capsized. 53 people were rescued, and one person died on Saturday, Aug. 14. Five of those passengers are now suing the boat company.
Roy Perez, 31, was on this sunset cruise for his mom and stepdad’s fifth anniversary. They had planned a night of celebrating, but he told KHOU 11 it was the first time in his life he thought he might not survive.
From the video Perez shot before the accident, you can see his family of six on board having a good time. However, it didn’t take long for the waves to kick up as bad weather moved in.
“We were like, isn’t this supposed to be a peaceful cruise?" he said.
It quickly became anything but peaceful. Tables were shaking and life vests being handed out.
“The waves were high, were hitting the boat like wind," Perez said.
Then the 60-passenger boat capsized. Perez and his whole family ended up in the water.
“Imagine you go into a pool; the deepest part of the pool, and you plunge inside," he told us.
Perez swam to the surface and his first thought his two grandmothers.
“We were drinking so much water. We were drinking the diesel from the ship, and the diesel of the ship went on my eyes," he said.
Eventually, all six family members made it to shore. They were rescued by Good Samaritans, but one passenger died.
“They ignored the weather, and unfortunately, we saw this in Branson, Missouri. I worked on the duck boat case, and I had hoped we had learned our lesson," said Ryan MacLeod, one of the attorneys representing Perez and four other victims in a lawsuit.
“You had other cruises, other vessels in the nearby area who heeded the weather, who looked at the forecast and said we are not going to put people in danger," MacLeod said.
The Lake Conroe Queen’s website says, 'We are not accepting new bookings and refunds are in progress."
For Perez, the flashbacks and pain are still real.
“Right now, I cannot lift my arms from all the way up," he said.
It’s an experience that’s left him never wanting to get back out on the water.
“I’m not going to get in a boat anymore, that’s for sure," Perez said.
We tried contacting the Lake Conroe Queen but did not hear back. The family hopes their story will make boat operators pay closer attention to the weather before they set sail.