A member of the Fire Department of New York uses his coat to cover a person on a stretcher in a triage area set up in the St. George Ferry Terminal in the Staten Island borough of New York,
Emergency personnel carry a person on a stretcher to an ambulance at the St. George Ferry Terminal in the Staten Island borough of New York, Saturday, May 8, 2010, after a ferry boat struck a pier.
Emergency personnel transport a victim to an awaiting ambulance in the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Staten Island, New York, Saturday, May 8, 2010, after a ferry boat crashed into the dock. Authorities say at least one person was seriously hurt and as many as 35 suffered minor injuries when a Staten Island ferry boat struck a pier at a terminal in New York. Authorities say the vessel is the Andrew J. Barberi, the same one involved in a 2003 crash that killed 11 at the same terminal.
National Transportation Safety Board officials say they will investigate various aspects of a Staten Island ferry that apparently had a mechanical failure before smashing into a pier, hurting dozens of passengers.
NTSB spokesman Terry Williams says alcohol tests on the crew came back negative and results of the drug tests are pending. The Andrew J. Barberi has been taken out of service, while officials try to figure out what happened.
Emergency personnel place a victim into an ambulance in the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Staten Island, New York, Saturday, May 8, 2010, after a ferry boat crashed into the dock. Authorities say at least one person was seriously hurt and as many as 35 suffered minor injuries when a Staten Island ferry boat struck a pier at a terminal in New York. Authorities say the vessel is the Andrew J. Barberi, the same one involved in a 2003 crash that killed 11 at the same terminal.
Emergency personnel carry a person on a stretcher to an ambulance at the St. George Ferry Terminal in the Staten Island borough of New York, Saturday, May 8, 2010, after a ferry boat struck a pier.
Map locates the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in New York City, where a ferry crashed into the dock Saturday
Emergency personnel move a victim to an awaiting ambulance in the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Staten Island, New York, Saturday, May 8, 2010, after a ferry boat crashed into the dock causing multiple injuries. Authorities say the vessel is the Andrew J. Barberi, the same one involved in a 2003 crash that killed 11 at the same terminal.
Emergency personnel lift a person into an ambulance at the St. George Ferry Terminal in the Staten Island borough of New York, Saturday, May 8, 2010, after a ferry boat struck a pier.
A young woman cries as she sits in an ambulance in the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Staten Island, New York, Saturday, May 8, 2010, after a ferry boat crashed into the dock. Authorities say at least one person was seriously hurt and as many as 35 suffered minor injuries when a Staten Island ferry boat struck a pier at a terminal in New York. Authorities say the vessel is the Andrew J. Barberi, the same one involved in a 2003 crash that killed 11 at the same terminal.
Emergency personnel transport a victim to an awaiting ambulance in the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Staten Island, New York, Saturday, May 8, 2010, after a ferry boat crashed into the dock. Authorities say at least one person was seriously hurt and as many as 35 suffered minor injuries when a Staten Island ferry boat struck a pier at a terminal in New York. Authorities say the vessel is the Andrew J. Barberi, the same one involved in a 2003 crash that killed 11 at the same terminal.
NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt says investigators will look at crew interaction, the vessel's navigation and propulsion systems, and its maintenance records.
The ferry is the same one involved in a 2003 crash that killed 11 people. But the ship underwent multimillion-dollar rehab before it was returned to service.
While an early investigation points to mechanical failure as the cause of yesterday's Staten Island ferry crash that injured dozens of passengers, the National Transportation Safety Board is digging deeper.
A seven-member crew will be at the St. George ferry terminal today, where the Andrew J. Barberi hit a dock.
Investigators will look into what crew members were doing in the 72 hours before the crash, as well as their interaction with each other.
The team will also look into the ferry's navigation and propulsion systems, maintenance and inspection records, and surveillance tapes.
"Over the next few days our experts will work on scene to gather the details of the accident and our mission is to find out not just what happened, but to find out why it happened, so that we can make recommendations to prevent the type of occurance in the future," said NTSB spokesman Robert Sumwalt.
The NTSB already conducted drug and alcohol testing on the crew.
They say alcohol tests came back negative.
Drug test results are still being evaluated.
Investigators expect to be at the terminal for as long as a week gathering information.
The transportation commissioner says the Barberi passed its Coast Guard annual inspection last July and a quarterly inspection last month.
A total of 35 people were injured in yesterday's crash.
The injuries are not considered life threatening.
Passengers praised the crew for quickly responding to the situation.
They say an alarm sounded, letting them know to brace for impact.
"My husband heard them say over the intercom, 'red, red, red' so we knew something was getting ready to happen and then the workers came out and said, 'Sit still, don't move,' so we kind of braced ourselves and then that's when it crashed into the dock," said one passenger.
"There was a lot of people that were taken off on gurnies and on stretchers and it took us about maybe 10 to 15 minutes before they let the people that were able to walk off. So it was chaos in there," said another passenger.
"Everybody inside the terminal took off outside the terminal thinking that the boat was coming where we were. So we were afraid, everyone was afraid," said a third.
Meanwhile, officials say there is no connection between yesterday's crash and the one in 2003.
Eleven people were killed and dozens of others injured when the Barberi crashed at full speed into a concrete pier.
An investigation showed the ferry's pilot, Richard Smith, fatigued and on painkillers, lost consciousness while alone at the ship's controls.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served 15 months in prison.
"To preface the 2003 incident is irrelevant -- that has all been out in the press, there have been NTSB reports," said Staten Island Ferry Chief Operating Officer James DeSimone. "You make 110 trips a day, you have a fleet of ferries, so that's really got nothing to do with this."
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