The family of a young man thrown overboard in a boating collision is holding out hope he will be found alive.
Search crews spent a second full day looking for Giordano Castronovo Monday, who fell into the Back River after a collision between and a ferry and a small boat over the weekend.
The search resumed Tuesday morning, and Laval police said the ferry that runs between Ile Bizard and Laval would not be running Tuesday so as not to interfere with the task.
For Castronovo's family, the wait is painstaking.
“Right now what we need, it's to find our son,” said the young man’s mother Sylvie Castronovo. “He's somewhere out there, everybody on the side of the river, please go out, go check, check in your backyard. He might there we're still hoping that he may be alive.”
The incident happened at 6:30 p.m. Saturday when the boat carrying nine people ran into the ferry Paule II travelling between Ile Bizard and Laval.
All nine people on the small vessel, which should only have been carrying five people at most, were thrown overboard. None were wearing life jackets or personal flotation devices.
Security camera footage shows the boat was in travelling around 20 to 30 kilometres per hour.
“Once they did hit the ferry, the 23-year-old gentleman was catapulted over the ferry and landed on other side. Now did he hit his head on the structure on his way over? That remains to be seen,” explained Laval police spokesperson Franco Di Genova.
Eight of the people thrown overboard were quickly rescued, with three taken to hospital and treated for slashes to their head.
The Surete du Quebec began searching for the missing man, 23-year-old Castronovo, on Sunday morning, but called off their search in the evening with no trace of him.
Police used divers and a helicopter on Monday to continue their search.
Canada's Transportation Safety Board also dispatched a team to Laval on Monday, although the federal agency's role is not to take part in the search, but to assess what happened and see how similar incidents can be prevented in the future.
In spite of what happened, Castronovo's family believes the driver wasn't negligent.
“We would like to clear up there was no speeding, no alcohol, everyone tested negative on all the tests. It was literally an accident that happened,” said sister Alexandra Castronovo.
Though no one in the speedboat was wearing a life jacket, which is not illegal, the law stipulates there just has be one life jacket on board the boat for each passenger.
Police believe wearing a life jacket may have saved Castronovo's life, and as it stands, do not believe he is alive, now considering their search a recovery operation.
His family, however, is not giving up.
“He's strong, he's capable,” said his father, Antinino Castronovo.
They're asking anyone near the river to help them.
“Just scream his name,” said the young man’s father. “It's Giordano. Please, that's all we want. Please just go check.”
