1 individual perished, while multiple others sustained injuries, following a boat that supposedly "shattered the entire rear" of a ferry in Florida and subsequently abandoned the site.
Rewritten Article:
A tragic hit-and-run incident struck a ferry carrying families from a sand sculpting event in Florida on Sunday evening. The collision, involving a recreational boat, claimed one life and left several others injured, as per police reports and eyewitness accounts.
Brenda Alvarez, a pregnant woman, and her family were on board the ferry with their two young children when the incident occurred. A crew member started shouting, "Hey, hey, hey!" according to Brenda's recollection to CNN affiliate WFTS. Upon turning around, Brenda's husband saw a large boat plow through the ferry. The force of the impact shattered the ferry's rear and left a substantial dent, Brenda said.
The ferry was ferrying passengers to and from the Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater. Approximately 45 people, including two crew members, were on board at the time of the crash.
The authorities were alerted about the collision around 8:40 p.m. ET near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge. When officers arrived, they encountered a chaotic scene, as reported by Clearwater police spokesperson Rob Shaw to CNN affiliate Bay News 9. Surrounding "good Samaritans" helped evacuate passengers using their own boats.
The ferry came to stop on a sandbar, allowing a few passengers to walk ashore, but firefighters had to wade into the water to help others escape. Six people were declared trauma alerts, with two suffering serious injuries requiring airlift by helicopter. One of the injured later succumbed to their injuries.
Updated records from the US Coast Guard early Monday morning confirmed one casualty and the transport of 12 individuals to a local hospital. The event was classified as a mass casualty incident by the fire department due to the high number of injuries, as per Clearwater police.
All the injured passengers were on the ferry, and there were no reports of missing individuals, as confirmed by Shaw. Kristin Vincelli, another festival goer, captured video of the emergency response efforts, which she shared with CNN.
The recreational boat that caused the collision made a hasty exit from the scene but was later identified by another law enforcement agency, as reported by Shaw. According to the US Coast Guard, six individuals were aboard the recreational boat. The ongoing investigation, led by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard, is working to piece together the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate event.
This story has been updated with the latest information.
Contribute to this report by Michelle Watson, Sarah Dewberry, Sara Smart, Martin Goillandeau, and other CNN staff.
[1] Initially, it was thought that the ferry came to rest on a sandbar, but this has since been clarified as misinformation. The ferry was actually struck from behind by another vessel, as stated by Chief Gandy.
[2] Further updates on the investigation, including potential charges against those involved, are to be determined pending additional information from the authorities.
[3] The details regarding how the recreational boat was identified by another law enforcement agency have not yet been released to the public.
- Chief Gandy corrected the initial misinformation, stating that the ferry was actually struck from behind by another vessel.
- Pending additional information from the authorities, potential charges against those involved in the collision are yet to be determined.
- The specific details about how the recreational boat was identified by another law enforcement agency have not been disclosed to the public.
- Brenda Alvarez, a pregnant woman, and her family were aboard the ferry carrying passengers to and from the Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater when a recreational boat crashed into it, causing a tragic hit-and-run incident.
