Jeff Knight, the man charged in connection to the deadly Clearwater Ferry crash in April, is pleading not guilty in the case, according to court documents. Knight's attorney, J. Kevin Hayslett, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf Friday. The crash happened around 8:40 p.m. on April 27, when 62-year-old Knight crashed his personal boat into the Clearwater Ferry, which was carrying 45 people near the Memorial Causeway bridge, FWC said. One man, 41-year-old José Castro, was killed, and several others were hurt. Hayslett previously issued a letter a day after the St. Pete businessman's arrest, claiming that "Knight was vilified" in the crash and pushing the blame onto the captain of the Clearwater Ferry. Jeff Knight's 8 felony charges The not guilty plea comes less than a week after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) charged Knight with eight felony counts of leaving the scene of a boating accident involving death or serious bodily injury. However, his lawyer claims that Knight remained on the scene for more than 11 minutes and did what he could to assist first responders before driving away. It also comes after an affidavit revealed new details on Jeff Knight's actions in the moments after the crash on April 27. According to the affidavit, eight people on board the ferry "sustained injuries that required medical attention beyond first aid." Those reportedly included: Traumatic right adrenal hemorrhage/hematoma caused by the impact of Knight's boat Displaced transverse fracture of shaft of left femur, fracture of the sacrum and multiple rib fractures Laceration to the left, lower leg The affidavit also says José Castro's cause of death was "drowning, with contributory condition of blunt trauma." Knight's attorneys say the FWC has cited ferry captain Dennis Kimmerer for violating a navigation rule related to the lack of a working stern light. New charges for Jeff Knight On top of the eight felony charges, FWC officials confirmed on Monday that Knight is facing 16 additional charges related to violating navigational rules. He was charged with eight counts of failure to maintain a safe speed — one count for each person hurt — and eight counts of failure to maintain a proper lookout, resulting in a fatal boating accident. Knight's attorney pleaded not guilty on his behalf Friday on all 24 charges. 10 Tampa Bay News' Andrea Chu contributed to this post.