ferry

Dozens were hurt aboard the Andrew J. Barberi ferry in New York City this morning (Saturday, May 08, 2010) while approaching the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island. According to the city’s transportation commissioner, the ferry hit the cement pier because the throttle failed to engage preventing the crew from using the engines to slow down for landing. The Andrew J. Barberi was involved in a crash at the same pier that killed 11 people back in 2003.

Mechanical failure might be cause of Staten Island ferry crashing into dock
A mechanical failure may have caused a ferry to slam into a pier at the Staten Island St. George Terminal and leave 54 onboard passengers with minor injuries, authorities said.
“It was strictly a mechanical failure of the ship not being able to reverse its engine,” said Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro. “The engine did not respond.”
The 9 a.m. ferry, called Andrew J. Barberi, had 257 passengers and 15 crew members on board. Of those, 37 people were checked for injuries as a precaution, and 17 were hospitalized with minor injuries ranging from bruises to chest pains, authoritie said.
The ferry was traveling at about five to seven miles per hour when crew members realized it was about to hit Pier 5 at the terminal, which it did around 9:25 a.m.
Alicia Eason, 26, boarded a ferry for the first time with her husband, Jason, 30, to snap pictures of the Statue of Liberty.

“A second before it hit, a ferry worker came and yelled at us, ‘Brace yourself!’” said Eason, of Knoxville, Tenn. “I grabbed my husband at the same time the worker yelled the ferry hit.”
The ferry, which can carry 5,000 people, had two large gashes, one on each side, officials at the scene said.