At the beginning of the month, we wrote about two people who had to be rescued after their sailboat collided with a tugboat and then sank into the San Francisco Bay. On February 16, one man was killed and another man remained hospitalized with severe injuries after a 22-foot motorboat collided with a Golden Gate ferry in the San Francisco Bay. KGO-TV reported that 68-year-old Harry Holzhauer died about an hour after the collision. None of the 500 ferry passengers on the MS SAN FRANCISCO was hurt.

The MS SAN FRANCSICO was taken out of service for inspection, but was back in service the following morning. Golden Gate Transit spokeswoman Mary Currie told KTVU-TV that the five crew members aboard the ferry were drug tested and placed on administrative leave. By Monday, the crew members all returned to work, except for the captain who remained on leave. The MS SAN FRANCSICO was headed from Sausalito to San Francisco at the time of the recreational boat collision.

“There are a lot of boats out and these ferries move faster than you think when you’re out there,” Sausalito sailboat owner Richard Leeds told KGO. “You think you’ve got plenty of room and it turns out they get close to you sooner than you expect.”

An investigation into the accident will be performed by the United States Coast Guard and the USCG will examine the path of the sailboat and the ferry prior to the collision.  Witnesses, both crew members and ferry passengers will be interviewed to determine what they saw and heard immediately prior to the accident.  More importantly, the ferry’s navigation equipment and wheelhouse recording devices will be examined to determine the cause of the collision. It is important to determine the cause of the collision, to see if collisions and injuries and deaths like this can be prevented in the future.

Latti & Anderson represents the injured victims and families of individuals killed in all types of boat collisions. We represent workers and recreational boaters from all over the United States, and one of the several verdicts and settlements we have obtained for clients includes a $1.7 million settlement for the estate of a crewmember killed following a boat collision about 130 miles east of Cape Ann, Massachusetts.

Additional information about ferry accidents can be found on our website. If you sustained catastrophic injuries or a loved one was killed in collision on the water, complete the form on this page to let our Boston maritime trial lawyers review your case or contact our firm today at (800) 392-6072 to set up a free consultation.

Latti & Anderson LLP – Boston maritime attorneys