A commuter ferry originating from Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey crashed in Lower Manhattan this morning leaving dozens of passengers injured.
Around 8:45 a.m the Seastreak Wall Street ferry, which was carrying 326 passengers and crew members, ran into two slips at about 10 to 12 knots (11.5 to 13.8 mph) as it was coming into Pier 11 at the South Street Seaport, according to a news conference following the accident and media reports.
A total of 57 people were hurt. Two are in critical condition with head injuries, nine are serious, 17 are in guarded condition and 29 received minor injuries. No one ended up in the water as a result of the crash.
Those with critical and serious injuries were transported to Manhattan hospitals and those with minor ones were taken to hospitals in Brooklyn.
Photos from the accident scene show a large gash in the front corner of the ferry, but the exact cause of the crash is still unknown.
According to the Wall Street Journal, all of the crew members passed Breathalyzer tests.
“We don’t know what happened,” one injured passenger told the Daily News. “The boat hit something, and we went flying. People were bleeding all over the place.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is sending a 11 member team from Washington D.C. to investigate the accident and should arrive at the scene around 2 p.m.
The pier is expected to reopen to commuters at noon today.
Photo Twitter/@NYCMayorsOffice
