[Scalawag]

How could this 65' truck just roll off the back of a ferry, what are we looking @ here ? The truck was out of gear, parking brake off & the man was sleeping inside?? I read a comment from a truck driver that said if that truck was not running theres no way it could have just rolled off the ferry, wonder if theres more to this??
Another suprise to me was that the water is a mile deep there ??!!
WoW , I never knew that must be some good fishing around there.
Thanks for any comments,

 

[CANYONFISH]

Plum Gut - 100 Feet Deep

Passengers said they heard the loud clang of metal on metal and felt trundling vibrations as the truck snapped the thick chains and bowled down a steel post, safety features designed to stop vehicles from slipping off the boat, and scraped the boat's edge as it dropped into water 100 feet deep.

 

[Scalawag]

Ive got a feeling " CHOCKS " will be introduced to the ferry's saftey procedures !

 

[613766]

Foolish..........

As a Truck Driver myself, and have taken them on Ferry's before, I have had the Deck Hands tell me to make sure that the truck is left in gear, and the Brakes applied.
In severe weather they will tie the truck down and also chock the wheels.
Sounds like someone wasn't doing his or her job.
And to boot, when the weather is kicking, they should never had let the man stay in his truck to sleep.
Plus, not a smart move on the driver's end when the weather was a foul!
My .02.

 

[Mad Mahi]

not sleeping...

Reports today say that he went back into the cab AFTER the crew announced that all drivers could return to their vehicles since they would "soon" be docking. That was supposedly about a mile out from the ferry slips.

A mile out still seems far to me. I could see if they were on the final slow approach to the ferry slip. At that point there is stiil a lot of time for anyone to get back in the vehicle since thay still have to go through the docking and tie off process.

A mile out in 100 feet of water is still on the open sound in those currents! Seems that is what should be investigated.

 

[621938]

what a way to go.......

when that filthy, dastardly grim reaper comes a knockin there is no escape

but what a way to go, drowned in the icey november waters of our beloved long island sound. i wonder how the recovered the body? did he struggle to get out of the cab only to drowned in the squirreley waters of the race? heart gave out? trapped in the cab? its says in the paper somethin bout' the ferry circled back and some crew donned dry suits and got the corpse

but did they have to go under? was it really 100ft? i guess they followed the bubbles down to the truck or was it indeed much shallower, like 20 feet and they could see the truck submerged?

they ferry crew is real that good to recover there own dead? then why they dont chock the wheels or inspect parkinf brakes?

i wish that rag of a paper newsday would try to make there stories make sense once in a while

this is a big local story atleast for the day, and they have again dropped the ball and had some rookie east end reporterette sent out to the dock to find the story , no pictures, no serious interview with local police, newsday story comes up short once again

i doubt they will even follow it up in tomorrows edition, gonna have to check online for the heartford gazetty or the connituct cronicle for the real story, newsday dont do anything for us

anyways ....not my idea of how i want to check out when the reaper comes for me....

"do not ask for who the bells tolls....it tolls for YOU!"

dino

i wanna die dry!

 

[Scalawag]

Imagine how fast it sunk !!

There was a story on Channel 11 news this morning that stated it was indeed the Ferry company's fault as its a law that these trucks be chocked...
A smell a big lawsuit here.
May the driver R.I.P.

PS Canyonfish, thanks for the correction on the depth, it was 1 mile off shore in 100 ' of water, I get it!

 

[Gamakatsu]

I was once on an English Channel ferry crossing during a storm when a truck broke loose. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but the damage was unbelieveable. No passenengers were allowed in the vehicle area during the crossing so I don't know what, if anything, was done to limit the damage during the trip. What a nightmare for the crew...

Gamakatsu

 

[SurfaceStrike]

My two cents and observation

1. The truck was loaded on the ferry so that it was to be the first vehicle off upon docking.
2. No chocks were put in place. I have been on the Port Jeff to Bridge Port ferry a gazillion times and this is SOP.
3. A vehicle falling from that distance would smack the drivers head against the wind shield. Hence why he was unconscience. I do not know how old the truck is or if it had an air bag. But I am curious to know if the truck had an airbag ...if it deployed.
4. I am guessing the driver window was open and that is why he got out of the cab as the cab filled with water. The force of the water filling the cab pushed the man out the window.
5. Net Net..If the truck was chocked it never would have happened.

 

[no clue]

Chocks

It had to be the chocks, or lack of them, I was out there fishing about two miles from them,and it was flat as ****. No pitching or rolling. The current was real strong because of the moon tide. The truck simply must have rolled in reverse.