St. Petersburg teen dies in boating accident

State authorities said a St. Petersburg High School student died Friday night in a boating accident near downtown St. Petersburg. Alcohol may have played a role in the crash, they said.

Four other teenagers on the boat were injured and taken to hospitals.

Gary Morse, of the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said Paige Alyssa Davison, 17, of 2697 56th Way N., St. Petersburg, died when the boat struck a jetty near Albert Whitted Airport at about 11:24 p.m.

The cell phone of Julianne Logan, one of Davison's best friends, wouldn't stop ringing early Saturday. Annoyed, she finally listened to her voice mail and a friend's hysterical message.

"She just kept saying, 'Paige is gone, Paige is gone,'" Logan said in a telephone interview and began to sob. "She was such a sweetheart; she was the type of person that you fought for and was the kind of girl you wanted around."

Logan, a freshman at Arizona State University transferred to St. Petersburg High School her senior year and graduated in May. She and Davison had become fast friends.

The last time the two spoke was Thursday when they exchanged text messages, she said.

"I may have known her for only a year, but it seemed like forever," Logan said. "I've never seen her be mean to one person, she accepted everything and everybody."

Patty Nardozzi, Davison's aunt, stood outside the Davison family home Saturday afternoon while a steady stream of visitors came to pay their respects. She described her niece as well-liked and popular, with a beautiful smile.

"It's the hardest day of our lives ... it's not right," said Nardozzi, as she fought back tears. "She is going to be so missed."

Taylor Janhonen, Davison's childhood friend and in the senior class with her at St. Petersburg High, helped organize a beach memorial Saturday.

"She had the biggest smile of anyone I've ever known," she said. "She giggles about everything."

Davison, second oldest of four children, planned to attend St. Petersburg College after graduating so she could be close to her family, Logan said.

The heavily damaged boat entered Bayboro Harborage about a mile from the jetty just before 11:30 p.m. At the time, it was operated by David West, 18, of 536 17th Ave. S., St. Petersburg, Morse said.

Lt. Joel Granata, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue spokesman, said dispatchers received a 911 call from the boat around 11:24 p.m. As the boat made its way to the harbor, one passenger performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on another. Everyone on the boat was a teenager, he said.

Parents of the boat passengers called 911 minutes after the initial call from the boat, Granata said.

Davison was pronounced dead at 11:43 p.m., shortly after emergency crews reached the injured boaters, he said.

Granata described Davison's injuries as "unsurvivable trauma." He was unable to describe the extent of the injuries or how she sustained them.

Morse didn't release the names of three of the other victims. Three were taken to Bayfront Medical Center and a fourth to All Children's Hospital.

Morse said those on board the 22-foot center-console boat were returning from a shark-fishing trip. He said the crash is under investigation.