Holiday Boat Ride Ends in Tragedy
Twenty-seven people were aboard a boat in Oyster Bay last week for the Fourth of July festivities. They were one of a multitude of boats on the water that night, clamoring for the shore after the fireworks were done. But this boat, unlike the others, capsized, killing three children.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, an investigation is underway into the cause of the accident. Weather, overcrowding, mechanical malfunction, or the wake of another vessel are all potential contributors.
The children were in the cabin at the time of the accident and weren’t wearing life jackets. According to some reports, there were only six life jackets on the boat, not nearly enough for the 27 occupants. Continue reading
2010 Staten Island Ferry Accident Blamed on “Malfunction”
The National Transportation Safety Board released the findings of their investigation into the crash of a ferry in Staten Island two years ago. The crash didn’t prove fatal, but injured 50 people, three of them seriously.
According to CNN, the NTSB found the accident was caused by the malfunctioning solenoid, a part in the propulsion unit. This malfunction made one of the propellers unresponsive to the commands of the ferry’s pilot.
Unfortunately, the malfunction wasn’t recognized until seconds before the crash, when it was too late to take evasive action, making the crash “unavoidable.”
“The pilothouse crewmembers were unaware of the loss of propulsion control until seconds before the accident,” said the report from the NTSB, removing any blame for the accident from the crew.
This wasn’t the first ferry accident for the boat known as the Andrew Barberi. In 2003 it was involved in another crash. This time it hit a pier in Manhattan, killing 11 people and injuring 70. Continue reading
Boat Accident Near Perth Amboy Kills 1, Injures 4
A New Brunswick man is dead after the boat he was on capsized off the coast of Staten Island, near Perth Amboy. The drowning is said to have been a “tragic accident,” according to one NYPD source speaking to The Star-Ledger.
The pleasure boat was carrying 5 people. It’s believed the anchor got caught, capsizing the boat, according to authorities.
Three men and one woman, the only one wearing a life-jacket, were treated and released at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy. But Mario Baredales was dead when the rescue mission began.
According to another report from the Star-Ledger, the boat passengers were rescued by another civilian vessel who happened upon the capsized boat quite by accident.
David Gross, who was piloting his own sport fishing boat, changed his route when the swells in the Verrazano Narrows looked a little rough for his aging mother-in-law who was on board. He altered his course into Raritan Bay when he saw four people waving in the water, one of them grasping the lifeless body of their friend. Continue reading