Fire official said the ferry was going faster than normal as it approached the dock.
A New York Water Taxi made a hard landing against the dock at a ferry terminal on Manhattan’s West Side Friday evening, injuring at least 30 people, fire officials say.
The FDNY says the vessel struck Pier 79, near Lincoln Tunnel on the West Side, on Friday just after 4 p.m.
FDNY Manhattan Borough Commander Roger Sakowich said the man at the helm of the ferry wasn’t able to stop as the boat moved too quickly to the dock.
“It was going a little faster than normal,” Sakowich said. “He was reversing, didn’t reverse as quick as he thought, and he hit abruptly. The people who were getting ready to disembark, a lot of them were thrown forward.”
Witnesses also said it felt like the ferry was going to fast before it suddenly slammed into the dock. Some said they saw passengers violently lurched forward upon impact.
Thirty people had injuries ranging from minor to serious, but none are life-threatening, according to fire officials. Most injuries were to passengers’ heads and backs; at least one child had a head injury.
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