Ferry Crash Probe Focuses on Pilot

N E W   Y O R K, Oct. 16, 2003 -- A day after a hideous wreck that killed 10 Staten Island ferry riders and left others horribly maimed, investigators were focusing today on whether the ship's pilot blacked out and collapsed onto the throttle as it approached shore.

The investigation led by the National Transportation SafetyBoard was also looking into whether the crew had been in a positionto provide backup assistance just before the crash Wednesdayafternoon that left more than 60 people hospitalized.

Eight people remained in critical condition today. Thefractured ferry sat at the docks as thousands of commuters boardedboats for the morning rush hour.

"If you look at any photograph of a terrorist attack on a busor train in the Middle East, that's your idea of what it lookslike," said Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro aftervisiting the wreck site today.

Still an Accident Probe

The man at the ferry controls, 55-year-old Assistant Capt.Richard Smith, remained hospitalized under police guard after twofailed suicide tries just after the crash.

Although a blood sample was taken from Smith with a warrant fromthe Staten Island district attorney, the case remained an accidentinvestigation rather than a criminal probe. Early results indicatedalcohol was not a factor, according to a high-ranking lawenforcement source speaking on condition of anonymity.

Authorities, based on a conversation Smith had with detectivesWednesday, were still investigating whether prescription drugsplayed a role in the accident, the source said.

Samples were also taken from the rest of the crew; some resultswere already in and under review, said National TransportationSafety Board Chairwoman Ellen Engleman. She was unsure when theresults would become public.

Alan Abramson, an attorney for Smith, released a two-sentencestatement today after speaking with the pilot's wife.

"The family and all concerned hope that people will not rush tojudgment," said Abramson, who has yet to meet with his criticallyinjured client. "Their prayers go out to all the victims."

Horrific Scene

City Council member Michael McMahon, after a briefing todayfrom city emergency and transportation officials, confirmed earlierreports that Smith appeared to have lost consciousness in theminutes before the crash of the 22-year-old, 310-foot-long ferry.

"The assistant captain at the controls collapsed," McMahonsaid. "By the time the other captain could get control of theship, it was too late."

According to McMahon, the crash was related to Smith's "healthproblems and medication" — reportedly for a blood pressureproblem. Smith was a 15-year ferry veteran whose record gave noindication of such a problem, said City Transportation CommissionerIris Weinshall.

For victims and their families, time did little to assuage thehorror of the crash, which saw the ferry slam into a concrete pieras screaming commuters scrambled for their lives — some diving intothe water for safety — at the end of an otherwise routine trip.

The dead, one woman and nine men, ranged from age 25 to 52,police said. Hospitals reported that three other victims sufferedamputations.

Missing Woman Turns Up Alive

There was one bit of good news: a missing Staten Island woman,presumed dead in the water early today, turned up at a friend'shouse in Brooklyn, police said.

The mangled front right side of the ferry was shored up todayto prevent any collapse of its upper deck. Several of the victimshad been dug out by rescue workers from beneath a pile of brokenglass, shattered wood and steel.

Ferry service resumed this morning, with Molinaro reportingthat ridership did not appear down. The ferry, with its free25-minute cruise across New York Harbor, ordinarily carries 70,000people daily between Staten Island and lower Manhattan.

Investigators said they were checking into conflicting reportson where the crew members had been stationed when the boat crashedas it approached the St. George Terminal on Staten Island.

Under city Department of Transportation procedures, the pilotand captain are typically both in the pilot house as the boatenters port, although that is not a Coast Guard requirement.

"If the policy of the Department of Transportation wasimplemented at the time of the accident, we don't know," saidEngleman.

McMahon expressed skepticism that anyone had been close toSmith: "It's hard to believe that someone who was right therecould not gain control of the ship."

NTSB Investigation Could Take One Year

Engleman said her agency had "a lot of conflicting reports"about the pilot's condition prior to the crash. "We don't want topass on stories or rumors," she said.

Smith spoke with police Wednesday, but had not yet beeninterviewed in depth, Engleman said. The NTSB was already speakingwith the crew, ferry engineers and some of the victims, she said.

Investigators were also speaking with an attorney for the ship'scaptain to arrange a session with him.

She added that the NTSB investigation would consider otherpossible causes, such as the weather and engineering factors, andcould take up to a year.

Witnesses said the boat never appeared to slow down before ithit a maintenance pier, hundreds of feet from the slips where theferries normally dock. The ferry was immediately moved to a nearbypassenger slip, where rescue crews began their work.

Pilot Under Police Guard

At Staten Island University Hospital, nine victims remainedhospitalized today; two women were still in critical condition,one with severe abdominal injuries and the other with a badlyfractured pelvis, said spokesman Brian Morris.

Among those treated and released Wednesday night was a member ofthe crew. Thirty-seven people were treated at the hospital, Morrissaid.

At St. Vincent's Hospital, where 29 victims were broughtfollowing the crash, Smith was under police guard, said PoliceCommissioner Raymond Kelly.

According to law enforcement sources, Smith bolted from thecrippled ferry shortly after the accident and fled to his StatenIsland home. In his rapid escape, he left behind his keys; he wasforced to break into his house, where he slit his wrists and shothimself twice with a pellet gun.

He underwent surgery simultaneously with some ferry victims inthe same hospital. Six patients were in critical condition todayat St. Vincent's surgical intensive care unit.