The video published by the Police shows the moment when a recreational ship crashed into the back of a ferry in Clearwater, Florida, killing a person and hurting another 10.
The accident occurred around 8:40 pm on Sunday when a 40 -foot commercial ferry returned from Clearwater Beach, authorities said. He had 45 passengers and crew.
Police chief Eric Gandy said at a press conference from Monday night that he believes that the boat “annulled almost three quarters of the ferry.”
The Florida Fishing and Wildlife Commission said that “there was definitely a point where both ships were completely tangled” and the ferry suffered a lot of damage. The recreational boat was 37 feet and had about six people on board, said FWC.
Before the first to respond arrived at the scene, they knew they were dealing with an “important situation” because the 911 operators described listening to “horrible screams in the background” when people asked for help, Gandy said.
In a Mayday call, a person could be heard the collision.
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. There has been a collision of boats. The Clearwater ferry under the Capewater causeway. The Ferry Clearwater is drifting,” said the person.
The murdered man was identified by the authorities as José Castro, 41, of Palm Harbor.
The injured victims were taken to hospitals in Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Tampa, Gandy said.
“Our thoughts are with the families that were aboard the ferry, particularly the children and the family of the gentleman who died,” he said, added that the members of the ferry crew “probably saved lives.”
The boat that hit the ferry did not stay in the scene, but was then found by the sheriff agents about three miles south by the Belleair road, said the boss. The driver, identified as Jeff Knight, 63, and his passengers were still on the boat.
The authorities said Knight was cooperating with the investigation and voluntarily submitted to an breathalyzer test, which did not detect any alcohol.
