April 28 (UPI) — One person died and 12 were injured in a private boat’s hit-and-run collision with a public ferry carrying 45 people in western Florida, authorities said.
The crash occurred at around 8: 40 p.m. EDT Sunday off the Memorial Causeway Bridge in Clearwater. It was the end of the 17-day Sugar Sand Festival, a sand sculpting event.
A 37-foot boat carrying six people collided with the Clearwater Ferry, operated by Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. The ferry, which carried 45 people, including two crew members, came to rest on a sandbar just south of the bridge. The other boat was found 3 1/2 miles from the scene at the Belleair Boat Ramp.
The Clearwater Police Department released webcam video of the crash.
This video was released by the Clearwater Police Department at a news conference this afternoon related to Sunday night’s boat crash that left one person dead and 10 injured on the Clearwater Ferry. The view is from a live web cam at Coachman Park that shows the park and the… pic.twitter.com/wrP6RER6fo— Clearwater Police Department (@myclearwaterPD) April 28, 2025
Victims were taken to four hospitals, including Orlando Health Bayfront in St. Petersburg, the only Level II trauma center in Pinellas County. Two helicopters and 10 ambulances were used and six patients were declared trauma alerts.
Authorities have not identified the fatality, and which vessel the person was aboard.
Injuries included broken bones, soft tissue damage and head injuries.
“Upon arrival our crews were inundated with a great deal of patients,” Emergency Management Services Chief Tony Tedesco said Monday at a news conference.
It was classified as a mass casualty incident when “there are more victims than resources,” he said.
“Our top priority is we needed to find the most injured,” Tedesco said. “We took many trauma alerts.”
“We had great good Samaritans bringing