2 Broward men died in Palm Beach plane crash, deputies say

WEST PALM BEACH — Two Broward County men died in a Palm Beach County plane crash on Wednesday afternoon.

Palm Beach Sheriff's Office told CBS News Miami that Stephen Taylor, 59, of Hollywood and Gojko Damjanic, 58, of Fort Lauderdale died at the hospital after they pulled from the crash.

Around 2:12 p.m. Wednesday, deputies were called out to the 11600 block of Aviation Boulevard near North County Airport, where they learned that an aircraft carrying two people crashed into a nearby body of water.

Dive teams from PBSO, Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue went into the water to find the two men. West Palm Beach Police's Marine Unit and PBSO's Marine Unit also assisted in the rescue.

Though officials were able to pull out Taylor and Damjanic from the aircraft, they sadly died at the hospital.

Damjanic had been an instructor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and those in South Florida knew him as a volunteer and donor for the nonprofit Funding Broward Arts.

"It's a tragic loss for the arts community as a whole," said Kat Sierra with Funding Broward Arts. "He was a tremendous light. We all loved him and had a love for the arts."

Sierra added that the work Damjanic did for the community empowered local artists and he helped others achieve their potential.

In a moving tribute, Damjanic's wife said he was a man of "integrity, kindness and warmth, and his legacy will live forever throughout the countless lives he touched."

A celebration of life for Damjanic will be held Tuesday, July 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Kraeer-Fairchild Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Fort Lauderdale. In place of flowers, donations in his name can be made to Funding Arts Broward.

PBSO secured the crash scene for the National Transportation Safety Board, which is currently assuming the investigation.

At this time, no word yet of what caused the plane to crash.