What should have been a normal commute to work on a Wednesday morning at the Manhattan Harbor, turned into a disastrous turn of events. According to local news reports, a commuter ferry traveling from New Jersey into Manhattan crashed into the dock at 8:45 this morning traveling at 12 mph. Loaded with over 300 passengers and 5 crew members, this accident resulting in the injury of an estimated 74 people on the ferry. It is believed that there are 9 people who are in serious condition form the crash, and 2 in critical condition.
Shaken up passengers shared their experience claiming that when they crashed into the dock bodies started flying and everyone was in a panic, filled with tears. A man shares that one minute he was enjoying his ride in the ferry, and the next he was flying across the room only to be awoken later after being knocked unconscious. He was not alone in this happening, as the majority of the passengers experienced to some extent the crash of the ferry. Fortunately the emergency response team, both medical and firefighters, arrived in under 5 minutes time and were able to show attention to the injured victims in a prompt manner. The Seastreak Wall Street ferry is a very nice way of commuting, and is known to have higher prices because of their more prestigious service to their passengers, which is one of the reasons this accident is so shocking.
What is causing great confusion for the investigators is the fact that they administered alcohol breathalyzer tests to all of the crewmembers and the driver and they came up negative; they are still waiting for the drug results. According to the reports, the weather condition was average and caused no concern for the ferry, nor were there any other mariner warnings from the morning that could have influenced the accident. James Barker, the company president of Seastreak has been a captain for 10 years, and he offered his full compliance with the authorities and the investigation.
At this point the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are working together in order to get to the bottom of the accidents cause, though at this point they remain very uncertain as to what could have led to the accident. One eye witness of the crash has stated that she was watching the boat come in and as it did, it appear to be rather shaky and unstable. By the time the boat pulled in the crash was as loud as a bomb explosion. Whether the accident is the fault of the driver or crew, or perhaps an overall technical error, there are still a number of lies that have been put at great risk today, some of which may never be able to fully recover depending on their injuries.
Those aboard the ship were not only frightened, but many were severely injured and reports share that at the scene of the accidents there were numerous individuals getting carried away on stretchers with their bodies and heads strapped down to prevent them from moving and further injuring themselves. With the quick response time and the 155 firefighters and emergency medical professionals, they were able to attend to those injured victims much more quickly, hopefully helping some from further injuries.
In the event you or someone you know was involved in this ferry accident, or a boating accident in general, do not wait another moment before contacting a personal injury attorney! Whether you broke your arm during the crash, or your loved one is in critical condition, a personal injury attorney will help you fight for the compensation you deserve. Call one today!