Crowded East River Ferry Makes Hard Landing at Pier 11, Injuring 10 while Launching Passengers Into Air

NY Daily News – August 13, 2015

by Reuven Blau, Joseph Stepansky

Ten people suffered minor injuries when an East River Ferry full of passengers crowded near the front made a hard landing at Pier 11 in the Financial District on Wednesday night, authorities said.

“The ferry just came in too fast and slammed into the pier,” said passenger James Manning, 45, who was visiting from Sydney with his 10-year-old son, Will. “I grabbed my son because I could see it coming. It was very clear it wasn’t stopping. … It seems like one of the engines broke so he couldn’t reverse. It just went straight to the pier. It was a big jolt.”

Stunned passengers who had been preparing to get off the ferry were launched into the air on impact, witnesses said.

“The kids were flying in the air,” said Jeanne Look, 70, a passenger on the ferry, which left Brooklyn Bridge Park at 5:25 p.m. “One woman started crying. She hurt her thigh on a table. People just went flying on various places. I hit my arm on a table … I kind of feel like I have whiplash.”

Two people were taken to New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital with minor injuries. Eight others were assessed at the scene, according to the FDNY.

Police sources said all passengers were safely removed.

East River Ferry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but tweeted after the crash that ferries were running on “2-boat” service and some pickups may be skipped.

“We’ll give more info when we have it,” the tweet said.

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