Mystery surrounds a horrific boat collision that claimed the life of a father of three and left a young woman with serious injuries. Shane Florio (pictured), 46, was out on the Parramatta River when his $700,000 high-powered speedboat crashed into a moored yacht at Hunters Hill on Sydney's upper north shore on Sunday night.
CCTV footage has emerged of the collision, which sank the yacht on impact and caused extensive damage to the speedboat's hull. Despite suffering internal injuries, Mr Florio and his female passenger, 25, managed to swim to shore before collapsing at a nearby waterfront property. Mr Florio was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital, where he later died from catastrophic head and internal injuries.
Relatives said Mr Florio lived life to the fullest and loved his children and family. He leaves behind three young children and was the managing director of Home Demolitions. The injured young woman's connection to Mr Florio is currently unclear. She was released from hospital on Monday. Police are yet to determine whether speed was a factor in the long weekend tragedy.
'There's extensive damage to the front of the vessel, and the impact was so severe that it actually immediately sank the vessel that was on the mooring,' Acting Inspector Ryan Spong said. 'So you know that indicates the collision was quite intense.' He added that there was no indication that drugs or alcohol were contributing factors.
His death sparked an outpouring of tributes led by his uncle Johnny.
'It's with the heaviest of hearts, my friend , nephew and brother, Shane Thomas Florio passes away last night. He definitely lived life to the fullest,' Johnny wrote online. 'We are all in shock and still can't believe it's true. We will miss you like crazy. Heaven has a new angel. Fly my brother fly.'
Shattered friends and workmates also paid tribute.
'You were there for me in my dark time, and I'm here for your family now,' a colleague wrote. 'Thank you for being my boss, the joker of the party and most of all my friend.'
Another friend added: 'From what I knew of Shane, he was a unit-and-a-half who loved to take life to the max.'
Others remembered Mr Florio as a doting dad who often shared photos and videos of being joined by his children on work sites on Home Demolitions' online platforms. The fatal crash was one of several water-related incidents NSW Police attended over the October long weekend. 'If you're out on the water, abstain from drugs and alcohol, wear a lifejacket, slow down and know your safety equipment,' Insp Spong said.