One killed in Florida hit-and-run ferry boat crash
One person was killed and more were injured in Florida after a hit-and-run ferry crash.
One person died and a dozen others were sent to a hospital in Clearwater, Florida, after a recreational boat struck a ferry carrying dozens of people and then fled the scene, law enforcement officials said.
The hit-and-run occurred just off the Memorial Causeway bridge around 8:40 p.m. on April 27, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Approximately 45 people were aboard the ferry, including two crew members, and six people were on the other vessel at the time of the crash.
Twelve people were transported to a local hospital, the Coast Guard said without providing additional information about their conditions. Authorities said only those on the ferry suffered injuries.
Within hours of the collision, the Clearwater Police Department declared the crash a “mass casualty” incident due to the number of injuries and their severity. At least six patients were declared trauma alerts and two of those patients were taken by helicopter to a local hospital, according to the city of Clearwater.
Law enforcement authorities identified the recreational boat that fled the scene, the city added.
After the crash, the ferry came to rest on a sandbar just south of the bridge. The bridge connects Clearwater and Clearwater Beach and sits north of St. Petersburg and west of Tampa.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is leading the investigation into the cause of the collision.
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