New York – Tuesday evening’s boat accident on the Hudson River left multiple injury victims scrambling for their lives. A ferry boat from NY Waterway backed into a group of kayakers. At least five of the kayakers in the group suffered various injuries during the collision. Doctors in the emergency room reported that one of the most severely injured boaters had suffered a partial arm amputation. Other injury victims from the accident had wounds ranging from a head injury with a concussion, to rib fractures and a punctured lung. The head injury victim had reportedly lost consciousness, an indication of possible traumatic brain injury, according to neurologists.

The initial investigation revealed that the ferry boat captain followed protocol by sounding his horn before backing up. The kayak crews apparently did not move away in time but it is unclear as to why. Officials now believe that sun glare prevented the captain of the ferry from seeing the much smaller kayaks even though the kayakers tried raising their paddles to make themselves more visible. Further investigations are underway to determine if any negligence contributed to this serious accident with injuries. So far, police say that the captain was not drunk driving. However, several other ferry boat captains and companies have stepped forward to relate how dangerous the situation has become on New York’s busy waterways. This boat collision is reminiscent of the boat accident that occurred on Long Island less than a month ago. Read more on the recent Manhattan boat injuries and investigation here.

Illustrative Photo Credit: Walter Burns [License]