‘The chaos was unbelievable:’ as a group helped save 12 people during ferry dock collapse

SAPELO ISLAND, Ga. — A group of 9 helped save up to 12 people after Sapelo Islands ferry dock collapsed, claiming 7 lives.

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Action News Jax visited the site of the devastating ferry dock collapse on Georgia’s Sapelo Island. That gangway collapse claimed the lives of seven people last weekend.

Firsthand look at the Sapelo Island dock collapse

Our crew boarded a small boat to take us to the site. The gangway, which collapsed into the water, was removed for inspections as authorities want to determine what caused this deadly failure.

At the end the boat tour, we ran into a group of nine who helped save up to twelve people on Saturday.

“The chaos was just unbelievable,” Group member Bill Brooksher

These nine people were on the ferry Saturday when they witnessed the dock give way, sending dozens falling into the water. That’s when they tried to save lives.

“Some jumped into the water. They threw lifejackets out. I jumped down held onto the rail and held some women and two little kids,” group member Bill Brooksher said.

Another member of the group started up a small nearby boat.

“I heard a woman yell ‘Get the live ones in the boat. There’s a woman killed in front of your boat,’” Brooksher said.

We got onto a small boat ourselves to get the same tour of Sapelo Island that the crowd from Saturday took. It was about a 10-minute ride from the Meridian dock to Sapelo Island.

The large group visited Sapelo Island to celebrate Gullah Geechee’s history and the mix of African and American cultures. The collapse happened as they tried to board the ferry back to the mainland.

Action News Jax shows you where the ferry was docked last Saturday carrying all those passengers. You can see where the gangway would be, but the entrance is closed off. The tour guide told us the gangway had been removed to be inspected to learn why it collapsed. They also said the gangway was about 80 feet long.

“At least five people that I got to shore would not have made it,” Group member Christ said.

Out of this group, Chris made six trips back and forth to the water to help those struggling to reach the shore.

“I pulled her to shore and continued to do that six times,” Chris said.

They all agree that their swift actions likely saved lives that day.

We reached out to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to answer our questions, but no one has returned our calls. We will continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.

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