Medics tended to nearly five dozen people hurt, 2 of whom were critically hurt with head injuries
(NECN/NBC News: Chris Clackum)- A ferry slammed into a dock in New York City Wednesday morning, injuring dozens of riders, some critically.
The gash on the ferry may not appear to be severe, but the injured sprawled out on the loading barge show the impact certainly was.
"It literally just hit the barge and hit it hard," said witness Dee Wertz.
The ferry was making a routine, mid-morning, rush-hour run into Manhattan from New Jersey with 327 passengers and crew onboard when it hit the dock as it approached the pier.
"Entirely normal, everything was normal. We rolled in slowly like we normally do but it just didn't stop this time, "said passenger Brett Cebulash.
"And the next thing I know I was six feet in the air, I woke up from being knocked out," said passenger Ashley Furman.
Firefighters and rescue workers rushed to the scene, as well as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, while medics tended to the nearly five dozen people hurt, two critically with head injuries.
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Other passengers were worried that the boat was sinking.
"They thought they were going to take water on so the captain was yelling really fast get help because I guess they thought they were really going to go down," said witness Jacqueline Wagner.
The NTSB has sent a team from Washington to investigate what happened while the ferry company's president said the crew was tested immediately after the accident.
"Yes, there were breathalyzer tests ...on the crew. And results were negative," said James Barker, President of Seastreak Ferry.
Some witnesses say that the ferry pitched to one side when passengers quickly lined up on that side to disembark.
