On October 15, 2003, at 3:21 pm, the Ferry of Staten Island and Andrew J. Barberi hit full speed into the concrete pier at St. John's ferry terminal. George. Eleven people were killed and 165 wounded, some critically.
Video 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash
Accident
The 310-foot ferry (94 m) is at the end of a 5-mile (8 km) journey, twenty-five minutes from Manhattan to St. George, Staten Island. Aboard the ship is about 1,500 passengers, well below the maximum capacity of 6,000. The wind was very heavy that afternoon, with gusts of more than 40 mph (64 km/h). Water in New York Harbor is described as "deeply choppy".
Instead of anchored, the ferry tilted from the berth and slammed full speed into the maintenance dock, a concrete platform backed by a pole. The dock ripped off the right side of the ferry and tore off the main deck of the ship where many passengers were crowding forward to descend. As the concrete slab enters the boat, passengers shout and run for cover. Some jump into the water. The accident caused a number of victims trapped in piles of metal, glass, and wood chips. The accident was the worst in the history of 98 years of ferry service. But the hull of the ferry was not damaged, and the ship was never in danger of drowning.
On the upper deck, passengers waiting to get out turned and ran in panic as the ferry hit the dock. After the accident, they can not see the massacre below them. No announcements were made, and the upper deck crowd waited in ignorance for twenty minutes, until the ship turned and finally docked at the other end. Even before reaching the berth, rescue workers arrived at the beach to help search for survivors.
Maps 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash
Fatalities and injuries
Eleven people were killed and 71 others wounded in the accident. All casualties and most injuries are passengers on the main deck; several passengers on the top deck were injured during the panic of the crowd, and many were treated in surprise. Death included a survivor of the September 11 attacks and a woman who was placed in a drug-induced coma for two months after the accident. Paul Esposito, a 24-year-old waitress, had both legs dropped below the knee. His life was saved by Kerry Griffiths, a 34-year-old pediatric nurse from England, who applied a tourniquet.
Aftermath
Mayor Michael Bloomberg soon announced that the accident was an accident, easing public concerns still stunned by the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which killed large numbers of residents of Staten Island. A co-worker claimed to have seen the pilot asleep on duty, slumping over control. Two witnesses said that the boat seemed to accelerate just before the accident happened.
The ferry pilot, Richard Smith, attempted suicide by slitting his left wrist while still aboard. He then slips away so suddenly that he leaves his house key. She was found shortly afterwards at home, after apparently broken. Smith once again attempted suicide, this time by shooting himself twice in the chest with a pellet gun, but also survived this second suicide attempt.
Later it was determined that Smith had lost consciousness while in control of the ship. He has taken painkiller tramadol and Tylenol PM, both of which can cause drowsiness as a side effect. City rules require two pilots to attend during the docking, but this rule has not been enforced by the ferry service management, and Smith is alone in the pilot's house.
Five people were indicted in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Smith was charged with eleven allegations of killing the crew and making false statements in his medical report when applying to Coastal States to renew his pilot's license. His doctor, William Tursi, was indicted for lying on the same report. The city's ferry director, Patrick Ryan, was also accused of killing the crew and making false statements arising from his failure to enforce the rules of two pilots. Michael J. Gansas, captain of the ferry, was accused of lying to investigators. John Mualdin, port captain, was charged with a barrier of justice and lied to investigators; he falsely claimed that information about the rules of the two pilots had been distributed to employees.
On August 4, 2004, Smith pleaded guilty to killing the crew. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison on January 10, 2006. former New York City ferry director Patrick Ryan, who also pleaded guilty to murder, was sentenced to one year and one day.
The accident resulted in a number of lawsuits against the city. In September 2008, the city paid $ 54.3 million to the victims and their families, with other pending lawsuits.
The accident was originally said by New York City as an act of God, with lawyers saying that the Department of Transportation should not be responsible for the accident, an argument that plagues many survivors and residents of New York City. City lawyers, citing the 19th century maritime law, will then state that the total amount of damage sought for the city should not exceed the cost of a ferry. On February 26, 2007, US District Judge Edward Korman rejected this argument and stated that the city was not able to limit the damage, wrote, "The failure of the city to provide a second pilot or otherwise adopt a reasonable practice that handles the pilot problem is not able to clearly explain the substantial factor in causing disaster. "
Despite this and similar decisions, a federal independent trial report by officer Tony Garoppolo into a management error over the ferry service in which he ruled "the lion's share of the blame in this regard as resting with high-level management of the Ferry Service", no other employee of the Department New York City Transport demanded.
On May 8, 2010, the same ship was involved in another accident. When the ferry approaches St. George, the throttle failed to get involved when preparing to dock and the boat crashed into the dock. The impact caused 37 injuries, one of them serious.
References
External links
- NYC ferry damage killed 10 people, injuring dozens - Washington Times
- Ferry Pilot Sentenced - Sydney Morning Herald
- Staten Island Angel Memorial - website dedicated to accident victims
- SI Ferry Crash- FDNewYork.com
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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