Passengers question safety of Wolfe Island ferry after latest incident
Dan Berry was disembarking the Wolfe Island ferry at Dawson's Point Terminal on Wednesday night, just as he had hundreds of times before, when he suddenly felt his dump truck drop.
"I felt the truck go down, the big bang, looked at my mirrors and noticed the boat wasn't there and people are scrambling," said Berry, who lives on the island, normally a short trip across the St. Lawrence River from Kingston, Ont.
Instinct took over and Berry accelerated up the shore ramp, which usually lies horizontal but now sloped toward the water.
Once safely ashore, he hopped down from his truck to find a pedestrian struggling to scramble up the ramp and helped haul the man to safety.
In a statement to CBC, a spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said 81 passengers were aboard the ferry when it "separated from the dock" while passengers disembarked, some in vehicles and some on foot.
"One passenger who was disembarking fell as the shore ramp slipped off the vessel ramp," it reads. "The passenger was assisted off the ramp with the help of other nearby passengers. No injuries were reported."
The TSB said it considers this a Class 5 investigation, which means it will be limited to collecting data on the incident as opposed to conducting a full probe.
Berry said the incident has left him with concerns.
"I have lots of questions about the safety of the boat. I mean, there's been numerous issues with this ramp lately."
MTO taking incident 'very seriously'
Normally when the ferry docks, one ramp extends from the ferry to form a bridge of sorts with the longer shore ramp, allowing vehicles and pedestrians to disembark.
In a statement, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) said it's taking the incident "very seriously."
"We are cooperating with Transport Canada and a full internal investigation will be conducted to determine the cause," the ministry said.
Wolfe Island Fire Chief Tim Hawkins said fire crews were called to the dock that evening after receiving reports that someone had fallen on the ramp, hurting their knee and shoulder.
By the time he arrived, the ramps were back in place and the person who had reportedly fallen was sitting in a truck.
"We were just very fortunate that it wasn't real serious," Hawkins said.
Bill Coffin said service on the ferry had already been disrupted throughout the day Wednesday due to unrelated emergency calls. After waiting two hours, he finally boarded the vessel in Kingston, arriving at Dawson's Point around 7:25 p.m.
He said the ferry attempted to dock several times before finally succeeding, but as a column of cars and trucks began to disembark, the vessel suddenly swung away.
Islanders concerned
Coffin, who remained on board with his own vehicle, said by the time he got a good look the ferry was more than 20 metres from shore. He said it took another 45 minutes for the crew to dock.
"We were all worried that a truck had gone [into the water]," Coffin said. "Understand, there was three of them and the trucks were moving ... and then all of a sudden it started going crazy."
With the ramps repositioned, the remaining vehicles were able to drive off.
"There was just lots of people getting off the boat being very, very cautious because after seeing that, everybody's worried — 'Is that going to happen when I'm going off?'"
Coffin believes the incident could hurt passengers' confidence in the ferry service, and wants the MTO to share its findings with residents.
"We do have a certain right to know," he said.
Berry said he hasn't been contacted by the MTO or anyone else about his role in the incident. He and his wife Paula said they'd like to understand what's being done about problems that have been plaguing the ferry.
"You're frustrated ... because you know that it was an accident that should have been preventable," he said. "It's not a laughing matter. It's not something you just sweep under the rug."
