Private Boat Hits Ferry, Flees the Scene, One Dead [WATCH]

At least one person has died and more than a dozen others were injured following a collision between a ferry and a private boat near the Memorial Causeway bridge in Clearwater, Florida, on Sunday night.

The incident occurred as the Clearwater Ferry was transporting festivalgoers attending the final night of the 17-day Sugar Sand Festival.

The ferry, which was carrying 43 passengers and two crew members, was struck by a private boat carrying six people.

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Authorities said the private boat fled the scene immediately following the collision, while the ferry came to a rest on a nearby sandbar.

The U.S. Coast Guard and local police quickly declared the situation a “mass casualty event” and initiated emergency response efforts.

Photos from the scene revealed significant damage to the ferry, including parts of the roof torn away and collapsed plastic seating.

Images also showed first responders helping passengers to safety along the sandbank.

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Six ferry passengers were classified as “trauma patients” and rushed to hospitals across the state.

Two of the injured individuals were airlifted to medical facilities using helicopters that arrived to assist emergency crews.

Additional passengers were evaluated and treated on-site by over ten ambulance and emergency service units dispatched to the scene.

WATCH: FATAL FERRY HIT AND RUN CAPTURED ON WEBCAM

At least 1 dead, 12 injured in ‘mass casualty’ event when boat plowed into ferry in Clearwater Florida before fleeing scene. 6 were seriously injured and two were air-evaced. The ferry came to rest on a sandbar. Initial reports… pic.twitter.com/rPZ0n9N1Vf

— The Space Coast Rocket (@CoastRocket) April 28, 2025

In a statement late Sunday, the Clearwater Police Department urged motorists to avoid the Memorial Causeway area to allow emergency vehicles to transport patients efficiently.

“We’re working a boat crash off the Memorial Causeway bridge that has resulted in multiple injuries,” the department said.

“It’s been declared a mass casualty incident by the fire department due to the number of injuries. All local hospitals have been notified. Multiple trauma alerts have been called with helicopters transporting two of the more seriously injured.”

Clearwater Police spokesperson Rob Shaw later confirmed that the private boat involved in the crash had been located with six occupants, none of whom sustained injuries.

“We believe that the boat responsible for hitting the ferry left the scene immediately, and we believe that our law enforcement partners may have that boat,” Shaw stated.

Here’s the latest info from @BN9 on the fatal crash involving the Clearwater Ferry:
– 1 killed
– 12 injured
– 6 seriously injured/2 med flighted to hospital
– No word yet on charges/ current location of boat involved in hit-and-run
– USCG & FWC are leading investigation now pic.twitter.com/yjgNTWFIME

— Angie Angers (@angie_angers) April 28, 2025

Photographs from the Belleair Boat Ramp appeared to capture the moment investigators escorted a suspected driver of the private boat into custody for questioning.

Ferry passenger Marco Vacheco described the collision in an interview with 10 Tampa Bay, saying, “It was like a big yacht, it hit from behind, like it came through where the captain sits, like he was pinned down.”

His pregnant wife, Brenda Alvarez, shared her concerns with ABC Action News, stating that she “hasn’t felt the baby move” since the crash and was preparing to go to the hospital for evaluation.

Alvarez, who was on the ferry with her husband and two children, said the impact caused her to fall between two seats, resulting in widespread pain throughout her body.

“We just wanted to get to our cars and get home. You never expect anything to happen,” Alvarez said.

She also praised first responders for assisting her family in getting off the damaged ferry, noting that paramedics entered shallow waters to help her and her children to safety.

Authorities confirmed that all the injured individuals were ferry passengers, with approximately 12 patients transported to various hospitals and more evaluated at the scene.

All passengers and patients had been accounted for by approximately 10:30 p.m. Sunday night.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have launched a joint investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

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