A New York bound ferry crashed into a dock in Lower Manhattan earlier this week, leaving at least 57 injured. The ferry is a daily ferry operated by Seastreak that has a capacity of approximately 400 passengers.
The cause of the ferry accident is still unknown at this time, as is the full extent of the damage. However, breaking CNN News reports that there are at least 57-injured as a result of the crash, including two people facing critical injuries. Passengers were being removed from the ferry on stretchers; a large, gaping gash was visible on the front of the vessle.
Our New York City injury attorneys continue to be concerned about a series of ferry crashes that have occurred in Manhattan in recent years.
New York City Ferry Crashes
Ferry crashes can be extremely dangerous to passengers aboard these large commuter boats. A witness to this recent accident, for example, indicated that she had seen a lot of passengers bleeding, bandaged and strapped to boards for evacuation from the ferry. The large number of people on board commuter ferries only exacerbates the risk when something goes wrong. And, of course, drowning is a risk to anyone submerged in the water; even in summer, frigid river waters can quickly overwhelm an accident victim.
Tragically, it seems that ferrys are too often involved in these serious or fatal mishaps.
- The same Seastreak ferry involved in this most recent crash was also involved in a collision in 2009. In that incident, the vessel slammed into a dock in New Jersey, tearing a two-to-three foot gash into the vessel’s starboard bow.
- The Seastreak ferry was also involved in a 2010 crash when a dock pile punctured a hole in its board side.
- In 2010, a different New York commuter ferry called the Andrew J. Barberi injured 36 people when it crashed into the Staten Island Ferry terminal.
- In 2003, the Andrew J. Barberi killed 11 people and injured another 42 after crashing full speed into a concrete pier at the ferry terminal in St. George. Victims were trapped under massive debris piles and some jumped into freezing water to escape. This incident is widely viewed as one of the worst mass transit disasters in modern history. It occurred after the pilot blacked out at the controls, reportedly as a result of painkillers.
- In 2001, a ferry from Highlands to Manhattan stranded 257 people for more than five hours outside of Sandy Hook when the ferry ran aground in icy waters.
These accidents had many different causes, including of course the negligence of the ferry driver or operator.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a ferry accident in New York City, contact Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool at 212-406-1700.
