Jose Fernandez: Autopsy finds Miami Marlins baseball star had cocaine and alcohol in system
The rising star in Major League Baseball had a blood-alcohol content level well above Florida's legal limit
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Your support makes all the difference.Major League Baseball star Jose Fernandez had cocaine and alcohol in his system when he was killed after his boat crashed into a Miami Beach jetty.
Autopsy reports released by the Miami-Dade County medical examiner’s office show the 24-year-old had a blood-alcohol content level of 0.147, significantly above Florida’s legal limit of 0.08.
The Miami Marlins pitcher and his two friends died on 24 September in the Miami Beach accident. It is not clear who was driving the boat, which Fernandez owned, at the time.
Associate medical examiner Kenneth Hutchins listed the cause of death as “boat crash” for Fernandez, 27-year-old Emilio Jesus Macias and 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero and reported that each of them had suffered blunt force injuries to their head and body.
Toxicology reports show Macias and Rivero both had blood-alcohol levels below the state's legal limit, while Rivero had cocaine in his system.
The bodies had a strong odor of alcohol on them when they were retrieved by divers and investigators also found evidence the boat was speeding when it collided into the jetty, according to the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office.
Fernandez was a rising star in Major League Baseball and was the first pitcher in the modern era to win his first 17 career home decisions. He made his debut for the Marlins in 2013 and was named All-Star player in both 2013 and 2016.
Born in Santa Clara in Cuba, Fernandez’ early life was very different to many of his fellow players. After three unsuccessful attempts at defecting from Cuba, Fernandez left the country at the age of 15 but was imprisoned several times before leaving.
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