Staten Island Ferry Crashes While Docking;
At Least 10 Dead; 34 People Severely Injured

October 15, 2003

NEW YORK  — Ten people were confirmed dead and 34 injured Wednesday after a wind-tossed Staten Island ferry (search) crashed into wooden pilings as it was docking.

City officials had earlier reported 14 people killed, but later amended the toll due to some bodies being counted twice.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (search) said in a news conference Wednesday that 10 people had been confirmed dead and 34 wounded. The mayor left the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox game at Yankee Stadium to head to the scene.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The accident occurred on a windswept day, with gusts in the mid-40 mph range, and early reports blamed the crash on those high winds.

"We are not going to speculate on how it happened," Bloomberg said. "It's too early to tell."

He urged survivors of the crash and those who normally ride the ferry but weren't on the doomed vessel to contact their family members immediately to assure them they were okay.

Those wanting to know the status of loved ones aboard the ferry were advised to call 311, which would connect them to a family assistance center, Bloomberg said.

The mayor said earlier reports that one of the ferry's captains was dead after committing suicide was "erroneous." However, local television station NY1 later reported that the captain was hospitalized after slitting his wrists and shooting himself with a BB gun in his Staten Island home.

Bloomberg had earlier said all the ship's crew would be questioned and tested for drugs and alcohol.

The ferry, which has three levels, has a capacity of 6,000, but it was unclear how many people were aboard at the time of the accident. The mayor said the ferry often carries up to 1,500 passengers at the time of day the accident occurred.

Those who survived the 3:20 p.m. crash reported that the ferry didn't seem to slow down as it approached the pier.

The National Transportation Safety Board (search) was sending a team to investigate.

"There's no reason to believe this was anything other than a tragic accident," said Bloomberg.

Some victims lost limbs as the accident ended an otherwise routine trip from lower Manhattan to Staten Island, a crossing that usually only takes 25 minutes. Other commuters were trapped in piles of debris aboard the 22-year-old ferry.

"There were numerous injuries like fractures and lacerations," said Fire Department spokeswoman Maria Lamberti. "There were a couple of people with amputations -- legs and arms."

Victims screamed and dove for cover as the 310-foot vessel ferry slammed into the huge wooden pilings that line the dock, fracturing the right side of the ship. The impact splintered wood and tore metal girders apart, ripping a huge hole in the side of the vessel.

The victims were taken to Staten Island University Hospital and St. Vincent's Hospital following the accident. Firefighters aboard the damaged ferry sifted through the rubble looking for victims, finding more than 20, some of them critically injured, said another FDNY spokesman, David Billig.

"Everyone just jumped for their lives," rider Bob Carroll told NY1. "It was like an absolute horror. ... The whole side of the boat looked like an opener on a can."

The accident occurred as the ship, the Andrew J. Barberi, arrived on the Staten Island end of its run across New York Harbor just before the start of the evening rush hour, said Mike Loughran, an FDNY spokesman.

Justin Girard, a witness to the accident, told NY1 that he saw smoke and heard screams after the ferry crashed at the St. George Terminal. The front end of the ferry suffered extensive damage to the right side of its hull.

A debris field of about 400 yards surrounded the damaged boat, said Coast Guard Chief Dave French. Coast Guard divers were in the water searching for any additional victims.

The ship sustained a huge hole on its side, and debris may have fallen on some passengers.

The accident temporarily suspended service on the ferry, and closed down traffic on the lower level of the nearby Verrazano Bridge (search).

The ferry normally carries 70,000 commuters per day on the 25-minute free ride between Staten Island and lower Manhattan. Five boats make 104 daily trips between the two boroughs. The Andrew J. Barberi had a speed of about 18 mph.

A free ride on the Staten Island Ferry is one of the city's most beloved attractions to New Yorkers and tourists alike, taking visitors past the Statue of Liberty and giving them a Hollywood-style view of lower Manhattan's skyscrapers.

The last accident involving the Andrew J. Barberi was on Sept. 19, 1997, when a car plunged off the ship as it was docking in Staten Island, causing minor injuries to the driver and a deckhand who was knocked overboard by the car.

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