/--------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Title : abc7news.com: Pilot's Health Investigated In NYC Ferry | | : Crash | | Description : ** UNKNOWN ** | | | | File name : 10.16.03 abc7news Pilot's Health Investigated In NYC | | : Ferry Crash.txt | | File size : 7,015 bytes (approx) | | Create date : 15-Jul-2006 | \--------------------------------------------------------------------------/ NOTE: The above TEXT_HEADER is absent in the registered version ------------------ Your output starts below this line ------------------ Pilot's Health Investigated In NYC Ferry Crash ********************************************** Oct. 16 (AP) -- Authorities are investigating whether a Staten Island ferry pilot lost consciousness during a trip across a windy New York Harbor before the mighty vessel slammed into a pier, killing at least 10 people and injuring 42 others, including three who lost limbs. Three people were missing, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today, though he added, "whether those people were really on the boat or not, nobody really knows." The pilot -- who officials said might have failed to take needed medication -- quickly bolted the scene, went home and attempted suicide, a law enforcement source told The Associated Press. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said pilot Richard Smith slit his wrists and shot himself with a pellet gun. Smith, 55, was in critical condition Wednesday night after surgery, St. Vincent's Hospital said. It was the same hospital where 22 victims -- including at least one amputee -- were rushed after the 3:20 p.m. crash, the city's worst mass transit accident in at least a generation. A co-worker of Smith told authorities the pilot had been asleep, slumped over the controls, the source said. But Staten Island councilman Michael McMahon said he was told at a briefing today that Smith may have lost consciousness because of "a health problems and medication." He said the officials were looking into whether he had failed to take blood pressure medication. About reports that the pilot had passed out or fallen asleep at the wheel, National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Ellen Engleman said today the agency has "a lot of conflicting reports as far as that. We don't want to pass on stories or rumors." Witnesses said the boat never appeared to slow down before it hit a maintenance pier, hundreds of feet from the slips where the ferries normally dock. The ferry was immediately backed up and moved to one of the passenger slips, where rescue crews began their work. "The scene was total chaos," said passenger Frank Corchado, 29, of Staten Island, recounting a tableau of horrific sights: a decapitated man, a legless woman, a fellow passenger bleeding from his eyes. "There was a lady without legs, right in the middle of the boat," he said. "She was screaming. You ever see anything like that?" The dead, one woman and nine men, ranged from age 25 to 52, police said. The names of all but one were released early today. The crew was to be interviewed and tested for drugs and alcohol. Such testing is routine after major transportation accidents. The crew members referred investigators to their union lawyers. Smith was being represented by an attorney, said police, who obtained a sample of his blood for testing. Telephone messages left at his home were not returned. Investigators said this morning they had gotten conflicting reports on where the crew members were when the boat crashed. The pilot and captain are both supposed to be in the pilot house when the boat is entering port. City Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall said Smith, the pilot, had been an employee for 15 years. "There's nothing in his record that we have seen so far that would indicate a problem," she said. Smith gave initial comments to police but has not yet been interviewed in depth, Engleman said today. The 310-foot craft was carrying an estimated 1,500 people, 36 of whom were treated at the scene or immediately taken to hospitals. Six others walked away injured and went to hospitals later. Corchado said he tried to help as many people as possible get out. Witnesses said some jumped into the windswept 62-degree water and others ran as the pier chewed up the side of the boat. "Most of the people who died were older people, I believe, who couldn't move or didn't have enough time to get out of the way," Corchado said. The victims were seated in the window seats on the front right side of the Andrew J. Barberi. Some of the injured were pulled from the rubble by rescue workers; one of the dead was found in the water off Staten Island. Evan Robinson, a musician waiting for a ferry on Staten Island, said he watched as the craft suddenly veered crazily. Two other witnesses said the ferry appeared to speed up when it should have slowed down for docking. "I looked on in disbelief," Robinson said. "I said, `Oh, my God, he's going to crash!"' "The ferry was coming too fast," said witness William Gonzalez, who lives nearby. "They had no control to stop the boat." At Staten Island University Hospital, two victims with amputations were among those brought in from the ferry, said spokeswoman Arleen Ryback. Others were suffering from back and spinal injuries; one victim reported chest pains and one had hypothermia. Ferry service was immediately shut down, forcing thousands of evening rush hour commuters to head for buses and taxis. Service resumed this morning and the mayor said it was operating normally. Engleman said the NTSB investigation could take up to a year. The agency would investigate human factors, including what crew members had been doing in the preceding 72 hours; engineering factors; deck operations; and weather conditions, she said. Although winds were gusting to 40 mph, Weinshall downplayed that as a possible factor, saying ferries operate in worse weather than that. The ferry is among the city's most beloved institutions, providing free rides and offering a spectacular view of New York Harbor. The fleet of seven boats carries 70,000 commuters per day between Staten Island and lower Manhattan. The Andrew J. Barberi, commissioned in 1981, can carry up to 6,000 people. The worst accident in the ferry's history happened in 1871, when a boiler exploded as a boat departed Manhattan. More than 125 people were killed, according to a New York Public Library Web site. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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