Ferry Boat Accidents

If you are a child just discovering the wonders of modern transportation, then riding a ferry boat is a peak experience. The only thing better than an interstate travel day, when you ride a minivan, an elevator, an escalator, a monorail, an airplane, a shuttle bus, and a rental car is a day trip to Fisher Island, where there is nothing of interest to children except the fact that the island is only accessible to you, and to anyone else in the 99 percent, by ferry boat. For adults, there is nothing interesting about riding in your car on a boat. It is like a traffic jam with seasickness; your car sits gridlocked until the ferry docks. People who are averse to new experiences often take consolation in the fact that the most dangerous part of the adventure on which they are about to embark is the drive. One of Miami’s notoriously rude and dangerous drivers might make an illegal turn at an intersection or cut you off on I-95, but you can safely expect that the ferry boat ride to Fisher Island will be entirely uneventful. Ferry boat accidents are rare, and they are almost always preventable. If you got injured in a ferry boat accident, contact a Fort Lauderdale auto accident attorney.

Two Passengers Die When Car Plunges From Fisher Island Ferry

Fisher Island, off the coast of the Miami-Dade County mainland, is one of the wealthiest census-designated places in the United States. Its inhabitants are so wealthy that, if they wanted to build a causeway from the island to the mainland at their own expense, they could build one at their own expense. The inhabitants of Fisher Island have not done this. Instead, they travel between their expensive homes and the Florida mainland by private boat or private aircraft. If the hoi polloi want to visit Fisher Island, they must travel by ferry boat.

In February 2020, Emma Afra, 63, and her friend Viviane Brahms, 75, were traveling to Fisher Island in Afra’s car. Afra was one of the first drivers to board the ferry, and her Mercedes Benz was at the front of its row. In front of her car were cement blocks and steel mesh. For reasons no one understands, Afra’s car suddenly accelerated, leaping over the cement blocks, crashing through the steel mesh, and plunging into the water. Both Afra and Brahms died as a result of the accident. If the car accelerated on its own, without Afra pressing the gas pedal, it is a case of product liability, and Mercedes Benz is responsible. If the ferry boat operator failed to secure the car, the ferry boat company is legally responsible, under the rule of premises liability.

Set Up a Consultation Today

A personal injury lawyer can help you if you got injured because of an accident that occurred when you were in your car on board a ferry boat.  Contact Boone & Davis in Fort Lauderdale, Florida or call 954-566-9919 to explore your potential recovery options today.

Source:

vanityfair.com/style/2020/02/florida-socialite-death-investigation