“I braced myself and we hit the dock,” said Batting, who was riding a ferry to Toronto Island Saturday afternoon when it crashed while entering the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. Butting said the force of the crash caused Smart to topple onto her daughters. “The people at the top of the stairs had fallen on everyone at the bottom,” he said. “Our girls were crying, children were hurt, people were crying, parents were scared” Twelve people, including two children, suffered minor injuries in the accident, according to police. The two children were taken to the hospital for treatment. Police said on Saturday that several people had fallen, but no one was in the water. Butting and Smart recalled people falling on top of each other from the impact. Emergency crews responded to the crash shortly after 5pm on Saturday. Toronto police are investigating the cause. (Neil Herland/CBC) Emergency crews were called to the pier at 5:08 p.m. The pier is located at Queens Quay West and Bay Street. Rescuers told CBC Toronto that ten people are being treated at the scene. Toronto police are investigating the cause of the crash.
‘Very fast’
“We were just going too fast,” said Smart, who was at the front of the ship. “There were no announcements beforehand to warn people to hold anything.” Butting said that other than the ferry’s speed, not much is yet known about why it crashed. He was left with a bruised knee and side, he said. Smart, meanwhile, said she immediately thought “we’re never doing this trip again.” The two said they want to know if the ship crashed because of a malfunction or because of the personnel. City of Toronto spokesperson Alex Burke told CBC Toronto that the city is aware of the incident and has reduced ferry service until further notice. For the remainder of Saturday, all tickets have been refunded and ticket purchases are suspended. “City staff will conduct a full investigation and prior to resuming full operations will require an inspector to sign off on the proper procedures and safety measures,” Burke said.
