By Alicia Cruz
The Black Urban Times
Emergency personnel, the New York Police and Fire Department have converged on the St. George Ferry Terminal after the Andrew J. Barberi Staten Island ferry crashed into the dock around 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning, the New York Police said.
Eyewitnesses say several people can be seen laying on stretchers, while others are in wheelchairs and are being administered oxygen at the dock.
Officials say the ferry boat was carrying 252 passengers on board with 18 crew members. The injury count is at 60 with 10 being seriously injured. A makeshift triage has been set up near the terminal by medical personnel to treat the wounded.
A passenger and several eyewitnesses waiting at the terminal told NY1 News that the ferry appeared to accelerate as it approached the terminal versus slowing down as it normally does when approaching the dock.
Passenger, Alex Gonzalez told CNN, "Everything was smooth sailing.... then as we approached the dock, it started speeding up." Other passengers told NY1 that people started scrambling and screaming at that moment, "Get away from the windows."
"[The crash] was so hard it threw you back," said Gonzalez.
Another witness waiting at the ferry terminal said that a "burst of fire shot from the back of the ferry after it crashed into the dock.
"As he...it approached the dock, it looked like it wasn't going to slow down...then you heard a loud boom as it crashed. It put in the mind of 9/11 seeing all those people on stretchers," the woman told reporters.
The force of the impact threw passengers forward on the boat. Eyewitnesses inside of the terminal say the crash shook the building.
The Andrew J. Barberi Ferry boat is the same ferry that was involved in a 2003 crash at the dock that left 11 people dead.
In that accident, the ferry's pilot, Richard Smith, lost consciousness while at the ferry's controls. Smith pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Saturday's crash will disrupt ferry service for several hours.
Officials say the injury count could have been worse had the accident occurred during the week when hundreds more passengers would have been on the ferry as they shuttled between Staten Island and Manhattan for work.
The investigation into what caused the crash is underway.
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The Black Urban Times
Emergency personnel, the New York Police and Fire Department have converged on the St. George Ferry Terminal after the Andrew J. Barberi Staten Island ferry crashed into the dock around 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning, the New York Police said.
Eyewitnesses say several people can be seen laying on stretchers, while others are in wheelchairs and are being administered oxygen at the dock.
Officials say the ferry boat was carrying 252 passengers on board with 18 crew members. The injury count is at 60 with 10 being seriously injured. A makeshift triage has been set up near the terminal by medical personnel to treat the wounded.
A passenger and several eyewitnesses waiting at the terminal told NY1 News that the ferry appeared to accelerate as it approached the terminal versus slowing down as it normally does when approaching the dock.
Passenger, Alex Gonzalez told CNN, "Everything was smooth sailing.... then as we approached the dock, it started speeding up." Other passengers told NY1 that people started scrambling and screaming at that moment, "Get away from the windows."
"[The crash] was so hard it threw you back," said Gonzalez.
Another witness waiting at the ferry terminal said that a "burst of fire shot from the back of the ferry after it crashed into the dock.
"As he...it approached the dock, it looked like it wasn't going to slow down...then you heard a loud boom as it crashed. It put in the mind of 9/11 seeing all those people on stretchers," the woman told reporters.
The force of the impact threw passengers forward on the boat. Eyewitnesses inside of the terminal say the crash shook the building.
The Andrew J. Barberi Ferry boat is the same ferry that was involved in a 2003 crash at the dock that left 11 people dead.
In that accident, the ferry's pilot, Richard Smith, lost consciousness while at the ferry's controls. Smith pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Saturday's crash will disrupt ferry service for several hours.
Officials say the injury count could have been worse had the accident occurred during the week when hundreds more passengers would have been on the ferry as they shuttled between Staten Island and Manhattan for work.
The investigation into what caused the crash is underway.
Media Outlets must credit
The Black Urban Times
www.theblackurbantimes.com
twitter.com/alicia_c_
facebook.com/theblackurbantimes
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