June 25 was a bad day on the water for some, and even worse for others. Around 3:40 a.m., a boat roughly 30 feet long slammed into a ferry east of Pilot House Station at Dodge Island. Fisher Island Ferry is a service that transports residents and visitors to and from the island.
The Coast Guard sped over to the scene and found one person in the water in distress. The individual was taken to Ryder Trauma Center and is described to be in stable condition. However, the person began asking for a friend, who authorities deduced was also on the boat before the accident.
“We found the other victim underwater after about a five-minute search,” said Lieutenant Pete Sanchez of Miami Fire Rescue. “Unfortunately, the victim was deceased on the scene, and now, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be handling the investigation.” Via WPTV.com.
The identities of both individuals found on the vessel have not yet been released. At this juncture, it does not appear as if anyone on the ferry was injured in the crash.
Disruption to cruise ships in the area
While the casualty and injured party are the focus of this unfortunate occurrence, the event was a major disruption to cruise ships arriving at and departing from PortMiami. It’s estimated that 32,000 travelers were impacted by the above-mentioned crash, which was an obstruction that commercial ships could not get around.
As a result, they had to wait until the Coast Guard finished clearing the area, which delayed passengers from arriving in Miami for several hours.
Norwegian Escape, MSC Seascape, and Carnival Celebration were all completing a minimum of seven-day trips that took passengers to the Caribbean.
“They’re feeding everybody,” said Norwegian Escape passenger Susan Green. “We’re chilling wondering what is going on. People are trying to rebook air flights.” Via WPTV.com.
Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath will keep their finger on the pulse of this situation as it has had many layers of impact in the community. We stand ready to serve anyone negatively impacted by a transit accident on land or at sea. We can be reached at (561) 655-1990.
