Passengers Describe Scene As Ferry Crashes Into Pier
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What was supposed to be a normal Wednesday morning commute went terribly wrong for passengers of Seastreak Ferry as it docked at Pier 11. NY1's Jon Weinstein has the story.The Seastreak Ferry smashed into the pier, jolting customers to the floor and into one another Wednesday morning.
"Immediately on impact people were just falling on the floor and yelling," passenger Sheila Carlson said. "There were people calling out their friends' names, trying to make sure everyone near them was okay and that they were okay."
Officials say the most serious injuries came from passengers who were already standing and getting ready to disembark.
Dozens of people with presumed head and neck injuries were taken to area hospitals on backboards. It took nearly two hours to remove all the injured.
"You couldn't tell it was getting ready to dock, it was just coming in," passenger Tony Lucia said. "Then it just hit something and it was a disaster."
One woman described the incident as surreal. Even passengers who weren't injured were in shock.
"My impact was the gentleman who was seated across from me kind of flew into me," passenger Brett Cebulash said. "He ended up basically on my lap."
Seastreak service resumed later Wednesday afternoon. While commuters expressed confidence in the company, they did notice one big change in procedure following the crash.
"The only thing they said today was please stay seated until we're fully docked," passenger Ellen Ojeda said. "Normally everyone gets up and rushes to the door to get out, but everybody stayed seated today."