Post by Ma on Oct 16, 2003 11:49:03 GMT -5
Ferry Crash Probe Focuses on Pilot
10 Killed in Collision With Pier; Pilot Reportedly Fled Scene, Tried to Kill Self
By LARRY McSHANE, AP
NEW YORK (Oct. 16) - Authorities on Thursday investigated whether a Staten Island ferry pilot lost consciousness during a trip across a windy New York Harbor before the mighty vessel slammed into a pier, killing 10 people and injuring 42 others, including three who lost limbs.
The pilot bolted the scene so quickly that he left behind his gear and his keys, then broke into his house where he slit his wrists and shot himself with a pellet gun, a law enforcement source told The Associated Press. The source spoke on condition of anonymity.
The pilot, identified by the source as Richard Smith, was in critical condition Wednesday night after surgery, St. Vincent's Hospital said. It was the same hospital where 22 victims - including at least one amputee - were rushed after the 3:20 p.m. crash, the city's worst mass transit accident in at least a generation.
A co-worker of Smith told authorities the pilot had been asleep, slumped over the controls, the source said.
About reports that the pilot had passed out or fallen asleep at the wheel, National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Ellen Engleman said Thursday the agency has ''a lot of conflicting reports as far as that. We don't want to pass on stories or rumors.''
Witnesses said the boat never appeared to slow down before it hit a maintenance pier, hundreds of feet from the slips where the ferries normally dock. The ferry was immediately backed up and moved to one of the passenger slips, where rescue crews began their work.
The 310-foot craft was carrying an estimated 1,500 people, 36 of whom were treated at the scene or immediately taken to hospitals. Six others walked away injured and went to hospitals later.
Corchado said he tried to help as many people as possible get out. Witnesses said some jumped into the windswept 62-degree water and others ran as the pier chewed up the side of the boat.
''Most of the people who died were older people, I believe, who couldn't move or didn't have enough time to get out of the way,'' Corchado said.
The victims were seated in the window seats on the front right side of the Andrew J. Barberi. Some of the injured were pulled from the rubble by rescue workers; one of the dead was found in the water off Staten Island.
Evan Robinson, a musician waiting for a ferry on Staten Island, said he watched as the craft suddenly veered crazily. Two other witnesses said the ferry appeared to speed up when it should have slowed down for docking.
''I looked on in disbelief,'' Robinson said. ''I said, 'Oh, my God, he's going to crash!'''
''The ferry was coming too fast,'' said witness William Gonzalez, who lives nearby. ''They had no control to stop the boat.''
Corchado said it felt as if the ferry accelerated as it approached land, waking him as he napped on the trip home. He ran away from the front of the boat to safety. ''My soul's killing me a little bit,'' he said.
At Staten Island University Hospital, two victims with amputations were among those brought in from the ferry, said spokeswoman Arleen Ryback. Others were suffering from back and spinal injuries; one victim reported chest pains and one had hypothermia.
Ferry service was immediately shut down, forcing thousands of evening rush hour commuters to head for buses and taxis. Service resumed early Thursday with a boat departing from the St. George terminal just after 5 a.m.
How sad, I left out the more graphic details of the victims, May God take care and comfort the families of the deceased and those who were injured and give peace to the minds of the people who witnessed this horrific accident.
10 Killed in Collision With Pier; Pilot Reportedly Fled Scene, Tried to Kill Self
By LARRY McSHANE, AP
NEW YORK (Oct. 16) - Authorities on Thursday investigated whether a Staten Island ferry pilot lost consciousness during a trip across a windy New York Harbor before the mighty vessel slammed into a pier, killing 10 people and injuring 42 others, including three who lost limbs.
The pilot bolted the scene so quickly that he left behind his gear and his keys, then broke into his house where he slit his wrists and shot himself with a pellet gun, a law enforcement source told The Associated Press. The source spoke on condition of anonymity.
The pilot, identified by the source as Richard Smith, was in critical condition Wednesday night after surgery, St. Vincent's Hospital said. It was the same hospital where 22 victims - including at least one amputee - were rushed after the 3:20 p.m. crash, the city's worst mass transit accident in at least a generation.
A co-worker of Smith told authorities the pilot had been asleep, slumped over the controls, the source said.
About reports that the pilot had passed out or fallen asleep at the wheel, National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Ellen Engleman said Thursday the agency has ''a lot of conflicting reports as far as that. We don't want to pass on stories or rumors.''
Witnesses said the boat never appeared to slow down before it hit a maintenance pier, hundreds of feet from the slips where the ferries normally dock. The ferry was immediately backed up and moved to one of the passenger slips, where rescue crews began their work.
The 310-foot craft was carrying an estimated 1,500 people, 36 of whom were treated at the scene or immediately taken to hospitals. Six others walked away injured and went to hospitals later.
Corchado said he tried to help as many people as possible get out. Witnesses said some jumped into the windswept 62-degree water and others ran as the pier chewed up the side of the boat.
''Most of the people who died were older people, I believe, who couldn't move or didn't have enough time to get out of the way,'' Corchado said.
The victims were seated in the window seats on the front right side of the Andrew J. Barberi. Some of the injured were pulled from the rubble by rescue workers; one of the dead was found in the water off Staten Island.
Evan Robinson, a musician waiting for a ferry on Staten Island, said he watched as the craft suddenly veered crazily. Two other witnesses said the ferry appeared to speed up when it should have slowed down for docking.
''I looked on in disbelief,'' Robinson said. ''I said, 'Oh, my God, he's going to crash!'''
''The ferry was coming too fast,'' said witness William Gonzalez, who lives nearby. ''They had no control to stop the boat.''
Corchado said it felt as if the ferry accelerated as it approached land, waking him as he napped on the trip home. He ran away from the front of the boat to safety. ''My soul's killing me a little bit,'' he said.
At Staten Island University Hospital, two victims with amputations were among those brought in from the ferry, said spokeswoman Arleen Ryback. Others were suffering from back and spinal injuries; one victim reported chest pains and one had hypothermia.
Ferry service was immediately shut down, forcing thousands of evening rush hour commuters to head for buses and taxis. Service resumed early Thursday with a boat departing from the St. George terminal just after 5 a.m.
How sad, I left out the more graphic details of the victims, May God take care and comfort the families of the deceased and those who were injured and give peace to the minds of the people who witnessed this horrific accident.
