What was meant to be a joyful summer vacation turned into every parent's worst nightmare when a tragic jet ski crash claimed the life of 13-year-old Rochel Aliza Nisanov and left her 16-year-old sister Aviva Bracha critically injured.
The accident occurred Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale. According to investigators, the two girls were riding a jet ski when they jumped the wake of a passing boat, lost control, and slammed into a concrete dock. Their parents, riding behind on another watercraft, witnessed the crash and rushed to help.
Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov, the girls’ father, dove into the water to rescue his daughters — despite not knowing how to swim. He sustained injuries to his hands, legs, and back during the frantic effort.
“I didn’t come to Florida to bury my daughter,” the rabbi said through tears in an interview with Local 10 News. “I came to Florida to have a good time with her, and now I have to take her back in a casket. It’s not the way I imagined my vacation.”
Rochel, described by her brother Yonah as “kind-hearted, spiritual, and always going above and beyond,” had been celebrating the completion of her studies. She succumbed to her injuries later that day, while Aviva remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition after undergoing surgery.
Rabbi Nisanov showed his scraped and bruised hands to reporters, recalling the moment he pulled both daughters from the water. “I had to be the one that pulled my daughters out of the water,” he said. “We didn’t sign no paperwork. Supposedly, my older daughter took some course. I didn’t see no paperwork. I don’t know what happened.”
He also expressed confusion over how Rochel, who was sitting behind her sister on the jet ski, suffered the fatal injuries while Aviva emerged with fewer external wounds. “I don’t understand how my daughter was in the front — she came up mostly unscratched — and my daughter was in the back, ended up being all the way under the pier,” he said.
Despite the tragedy, the grieving father held fast to his faith. “I love you, God. I know you know best,” he said. “Parents are not supposed to bury the children. Children are supposed to bury the parents.”
The body of Rochel was flown Wednesday from Miami to New York by Hatzalah Air, and then to Israel for burial. Her funeral was held in Queens on Wednesday evening.
Rabbi Mark Rosenberg, a chaplain with the Florida police, called the incident one of the most heartbreaking tragedies he has witnessed. “I’ve dealt with many terrible tragedies over the years,” he told VIN News, “but this one struck me deeply — a father coming from New York for vacation and ending up burying one child while staying at the bedside of the other, hoping for a miracle.”
Rosenberg also praised Florida authorities for their respectful and sensitive response to the family’s religious needs, including providing an escort for the transport of Rochel’s body.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is continuing to investigate the incident.