Overview
- Victoria Zardoya, a 20-year-old University of Tampa student, sustained severe injuries in a fall while exploring the Fort Dade ruins on Egmont Key and was taken to hospital by helicopter before she died two days later.
- Friends at the scene say the group called 911, launched flares to guide rescuers, climbed down to reach her and stayed with Zardoya until Hillsborough County marine units and a medical helicopter arrived.
- Multiple friends and family members, including Joe and Milania Giudice, have posted emotional tributes and firsthand accounts on Instagram that have supplied most of the operational details of the incident.
- A friend who was present, identified as Ross Umentum, posted that he was with Zardoya when she fell and expressed remorse; other friends described the injuries as severe and said everyone on scene did everything they could to help.
- Egmont Key’s Fort Dade is a popular but rugged historic site with uneven terrain and stairways, and authorities say the incident is under investigation with no formal public report released yet.