The Accident
The 310-foot (94 m) ferry was at the end of its 5-mile (8 km), twenty-five-minute trip from Manhattan to St. George, Staten Island. On board were approximately 1,500 passengers, well below the maximum capacity of 6,000. Winds were particularly heavy that afternoon, with gusts of more than 40 mph (64 km/h). The water in New York Harbor was described as "very choppy."
Instead of docking, the ferry angled away from its berth and slammed full-speed into a concrete maintenance pier, a concrete platform supported by pilings. The pier ripped into the ferry's starboard side and tore into the boat's main deck where many passengers were crowding forward to disembark. As the concrete slab entered the boat, passengers screamed and ran for cover. Some jumped into the 62 °F (17 °C) water. The accident left a number of victims trapped in a massive pile of metal, glass, and splintered wood. The accident was the worst in the ferry service's 98-year history. The ferry's hull, however, sustained no damage, and the vessel was never in danger of sinking.
On the upper deck, passengers waiting to exit turned and ran in panic as the ferry struck the pier. Following the crash, they could see none of the carnage immediately below them. No announcements were made, and the upper-deck crowd waited in ignorance for twenty minutes, until the vessel was turned around and finally docked at the other end. Even before it reached its berth, rescue workers arrived on shore to assist with the search for survivors.
Read more about this topic: 2003 Staten Island Ferry Crash
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