New legal developments have emerged in the case surrounding the devastating injury suffered by the 22-year-old contestant on reality TV show Survivor who was struck by a boat near Saona Island in the Dominican Republic.
According to the Greek television program “Buongiorno,” judicial authorities in the country have already initiated formal legal proceedings. Based on the official online justice portal, where daily court schedules are published, a closed-door hearing has been scheduled for Friday, May 15 at 9:00 a.m. local time in the following case: “Stavros Floros versus the captain of the boat responsible for causing his extremely serious injuries.”
Due to the time difference with Santo Domingo, the hearing is expected to begin at approximately 4:00 p.m. Greek time and, according to the posted schedule, is estimated to last around 15 minutes.
The specific procedure is considered a preventive legal measure taken by a judicial authority to ensure that the accused does not attempt to interfere with the investigation or leave the country before the criminal inquiry is completed.
According to the official document published online, prosecutors have classified the case as criminal, making direct reference to bodily harm offenses under Article 309 of the Dominican Republic’s Penal Code.
Particular significance has been attached to the fact that next to the captain’s name appears the designation “arrestado” — meaning “arrested” — officially confirming that the boat operator has been taken into custody, putting an end to conflicting reports circulating over recent hours. The same document also lists “Stavros Floros” among the victims in the case.
Similar procedures are initiated when victims of bodily harm file criminal complaints, with prosecutors moving to impose precautionary measures. In this particular case, involving Stavros Floros against the boat captain, supervision has reportedly been assigned to an experienced prosecutor.
During today’s hearing, the court is expected to decide whether restrictive measures will be imposed on the accused. Under Dominican law, those measures may include pre-trial detention until the case is heard, financial bail, or house arrest, depending on the evidence gathered so far.
“Mom, Why Should I Be Sad? I’m Alive”
Floros’ mother spoke to media about a phone call she had with her son from the hospital.
“I spoke to my son through a regular phone call. The hospital did not allow video calls. He is happy to be alive. That’s what he told me: ‘Mom, why should I be sad? I’m alive! We’ll deal with everything else later,’” Floros’ mother said.
“We didn’t speak for very long because we didn’t want to tire him, but he sounded well. Let today pass as well…” the mother of the 22-year-old added.
“One thing we learned is that the boys had a buoy marker. Besides the marker already there, the boys also had their own because there were two of them — Manos and Stavros,” she explained.
She continued: “I searched for Manos’ parents and found his mother and brother. I truly want to speak to him personally and thank him very much.”
Floros’ father, meanwhile, explained that it took 40 minutes for his son to reach the hospital — during which time he was bleeding heavily and uncontrollably.
