Georgia- 7 dead, multiple people rushed to hospital after ferry dock collapse, Sapelo Island, 19 Oct; '24

[dotr]

rbbm.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/20/us/georgia-sapelo-island-ferry-dock-collapse-sunday/index.html

'Those who died were all older than 70, and one was 93, CNN affiliate WTOC reported.'
''There were as many as 40 people on the gangway when it collapsed Saturday, department Commissioner Walter Rabon said at a Sunday news conference. Authorities believe the seven people deceased were visitors to the area.''
''The gangway was completed in November 2021, said Rabon. “There should be very, very little maintenance to an aluminum gangway like that,” he said, adding there were “almost daily inspections.”

''Savannah State University students were among those who were rescued Saturday and “are safe,” the university’s Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences said on Facebook.''

Oct 20, 2024
The 911 call came in at 3:50 p.m. reporting that the gangway at the Marsh Landing Dock on Sapelo Island had collapsed, plunging people into the water below.

 

[dotr]

One of the men (don't remember which one) was a chaplain who died in the process of rescuing someone who couldn't swim.

Looking at their ages, was this a senior-citizens event?

A Crack, a Shift, Then Screams: Witnesses Describe Georgia Dock Collapse That Killed 7

Investigators have begun looking for reasons behind the failure at a ferry dock on Sapelo Island, the site of a festival celebrating the heritage of descendants of enslaved people.

www.nytimes.com

''Charles Houston, 77, had traveled to the festival with his daughter to support friends. He did not make it back home to Darien, Ga.

Mr. Houston had served as a chaplain for several of the state’s law enforcement agencies over the decades, the type to bring in cookies to the dispatch office and call officers on tragic anniversaries''.

 

[Warwick1991]

Having 40 people on a gangway should not be an unusual structural load, especially for a public dock. It appears to have had 2 lanes for inbound and outbound traffic. Generally, these types of gangways accommodate not only foot traffic but supplies on hand trucks for vessels. I'm interested to hear what led to this situation. Design or construction error - critical fasteners or supports missing.

The terror experienced by older people with walkers must have been terrible. Even people who were swimmers earlier in life might lack the agility to swim in old age. No doubt there were injuries from the collapse itself.

 

[vls12345]

Georgia dock gangway collapse: What we know about the victims so far

The collapse sent at least 20 people plunging into the water, killing seven and leaving several others critically injured.

www.wsbtv.com

More details about two victims in this article.

 

[vls12345]

Retired school teacher killed in GA dock gangway collapse ‘lived a very full life’

Carlotta McIntosh's granddaughter says the shock hasn't worn down yet. But her family is choosing to reflect on the life she had.

www.wsbtv.com

 

[vls12345]

Jacksonville woman recounts witnessing 'traumatic' Sapelo Island gangway collapse

84-year-old Daisy Hicks watched in horror as the gangway she was waiting to cross collapsed on Sapelo Island. Hicks was on a trip with her senior traveling club.

www.firstcoastnews.com

 

[vls12345]

Sapelo Island resident says he warned state that dock was in poor condition before collapse killed 7

JR Grovner said that he told a Georgia DNR captain last summer that the Sapelo Island dock's gangway was “going to collapse.”

www.gpb.org

 

[LadyL]

Sapelo Island resident says he warned state that dock was in poor condition before collapse killed 7

JR Grovner said that he told a Georgia DNR captain last summer that the Sapelo Island dock's gangway was “going to collapse.”

www.gpb.org

When asked at the news conference if the gangway had a weight limit, Rabon said, “Look, I'm sure anything that's manmade has some type of limit. I don't know what that is. I'm told that it should have carried the capacity that was there yesterday.”

 

[vls12345]

Sapelo Island dock collapse: Georgia DNR hires firm to conduct independent investigation

Engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates was hired by the Georgia Attorney General’s Office to investigate the collapse

www.wsbtv.com

 

[vls12345]

A Lowcountry community gives back in honor of Gullah Geechee members

The Sapelo Island incident sent soundwaves from Georgia to here in Charleston, but also across nations to the Kingdom of Igala in Nigeria.

www.live5news.com

 

[vls12345]

The link to the pdf of the DNR Incident Report is at the end of this article:

DNR releases incident report for Sapelo Island dock collapse

MCINTOSH COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released an incident report for the Sapelo Island gangway collapse that killed seven and injured others. The report said that a DNR game warden was notified at 3:55 p.m. and responded at 4:06 p.m. to the collapse. The...

www.yahoo.com

 

[vls12345]

Behind a paywall.

Sapelo Island accident: Georgia agency raised concern about safety of gangway prior to collapse

A 2022 gangway collapse in St. Marys alarmed state DNR officials, who realized gangway was built by the same contractor who constructed Sapelo Island’s.

www.ajc.com

Gist of the article is that the contractor who built the gangway that collapsed also built a different gangway that collapsed in 2022 (in St. Mary's, GA).

Here's an article about the 2022 collapse:

Retired submariners, family members were gathered for St. Marys River cruise when metal walkway collapsed, injuring 17

Retired Navy submariners and their family members were making their way to a floating dock to get on a river cruise boat for a tour of the St. Marys River on Tuesday when the gangway collapsed, leaving 17 people injured, according to city officials.

www.news4jax.com

And an article that notes both:

Sapelo gangway manufacturer also made collapsed St. Marys walkway

Lawyers representing victims injured in the gangway collapse on Saturday at the Marsh Landing dock on Sapelo Island say they will conduct their own investigation and examine all legal options,

thebrunswicknews.com

 

[vls12345]

Attorneys announce lawsuit in Sapelo Island gangway collapse that killed 7, alleging design, engineering and construction flaws

High-profile civil rights attorney Ben Crump is holding a press conference Wednesday morning in Atlanta.

www.11alive.com

 

[vls12345]

Four families of Sapelo Island dock collapse victims file lawsuit, alleging structure was unsafe

A victim at the news conference said she thought she was going to die.

www.wsbtv.com