Sunday updates: Clearwater Ferry crash with hit-and-run boater leaves 1 dead, multiple injured

The Clearwater Ferry was involved in a crash with another boat Sunday night that left one person dead and multiple others injured some seriously, according to authorities.Police said the driver of the boat that hit the ferry fled the scene but was later found. The crash was reported at 8:43 p.m. near the Memorial Causeway bridge. The ferry, which had more than 40 people on board, came to rest on a sandbar after the crash, Clearwater police said. In a social media post, Clearwater police said the incident had been declared a “mass casualty incident by the fire department due to the number of injuries” and that “all local hospitals have been notified.”The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and U.S. Coast Guard will be investigating the crash, police said.Here’s the latest of what we know about the incident.Less than 4 miles from the site of the collision, a heavy police presence surrounded a boat as officers hoisted it from the water at the Belleair Causeway ramp.Officers on scene did not say whether their investigation was related to the Clearwater Ferry crash.About 12:30 a.m., two investigators had walked around the boat’s deck. The boat is a newer center console with a narrow bow. It was tied up at a dock that stretches into the water at the boat ramp, next to a bait and tackle store under the Belleair Causeway.Its hull is blue and white, with the gleam of an anchor sticking forward from the bow, which had scrapes on its right side.One officer whose uniform was labeled “Sheriff Forensics” snapped photos from outside and on the boat. Law enforcement officers spoke to a man sitting on a seat at the front of the boat, until he walked off the dock. One of the officers ordered reporters to stand back so they wouldn’t “intimidate the driver of the boat” but did not say more. They led the man to a truck without police markings.The boat’s three outboard motors were raised as it sat tied up at the ramp. At least one Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer was also at the scene. Nearby, a family watched the commotion, standing by the water’s edge.As wildlife officers hitched the boat to a trailer, the smell of gasoline filled the air. A thin, white scrape at the bow became more visible out of the water. An investigator took pictures of the bottom of the boat near the bow after it was pulled from the water. The side of the boat bore a logo: “Statement.” — Emily L. Mahoney and Zachary T. Sampson The Clearwater Ferry was founded in 2015 as a privately owned water taxi to shuttle between downtown Clearwater and Clearwater Beach, providing relief for motorists tired of congestion. Instead of traveling on the Memorial Causeway, passengers of the ferry would sail below it. With the opening of Coachman Park in downtown Clearwater and the ferry’s increasing ridership, the state in 2023 granted the company $1 million to buy two new boats to increase its service, and the cities of Clearwater and Dunedin also pitched in subsidies. The ferry routes had served Clearwater and Dunedin with stops at downtown Clearwater, Clearwater Beach Marina and Dunedin Marina, which is near breweries, shops and restaurants. But last year’s hurricanes interrupted service to Dunedin because the docks had been severely damaged. The ferry’s website said that the service is composed of three vessels. Maddies’s Crossing, once called the Sunshine Express, can hold 42 passengers. Hailey’s Crossing can hold 21. Monica’s Crossing can hold up to 63. The Pinellas transit agency took over the Clearwater Ferry earlier this year, expanding its frequency because of growing demand. During a Jan. 31 launch event at Clearwater Harbor Marina, Brad Miller, the CEO of Pinellas County’s transit agency, said the ferry was part of an effort to provide more transit options for residents. — Michael Van Sickler One person has died from injuries sustained from the ferry crash, according to Clearwater officials. — Bethany Barnes Clearwater spokesperson Rob Shaw could not yet provide details on the type of boat that collided with the ferry or if impairment was suspected. The boat fled the scene after the crash until it was caught later by a partnering law enforcement agency — “a hit and run on water,” Shaw said. — Emily L. Mahoney First responders splashed through shallow water below Memorial Causeway late Sunday, where the small ferry still sat about 11 p.m. Its top appeared to be in tatters with only one small, red light aboard piercing the darkness. Flashlight beams bounced along the surface as the emergency responders waded out toward the crash scene. The ferry is little more than a pontoon floor and railings. Rows of thin seats appear to have been thrown together in a jumble, pushed toward the front of the boat.Atop the bridge, a few bystanders stopped and stared from the railing. Red and blue lights flickered further down the road toward Clearwater Beach. — Zachary T. Sampson Police said six patients were declared “trauma alerts,” with two of those being transported by helicopter, according to the Clearwater Police Department. Injured passengers were taken to a number of local hospitals, said department spokesperson Rob Shaw.Morton Plant Hospital, which is less than one mile from the site of the collision, received four patients with minor injuries, said BayCare spokesperson Lisa Razler. At least one patient was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, she said.“We plan, prepare and drill with first responders for mass casualty situations so our community has a coordinated response to complex emergency situations,” Razler said. — Christopher O’Donnell

Sunday updates: Clearwater Ferry crash with hit-and-run boater leaves 1 dead, multiple injured

MORE FOR YOU

ONLY AVAILABLE FOR SUBSCRIBERS