Crump calls for federal probe into Georgia dock collapse: Deaths 'certainly preventable'
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump claims the seven victims died of negligence and called for a federal investigation.

Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump called for a federal investigation Tuesday into the partial collapse of a dock gangway that killed seven people during an annual cultural festival on Georgia's historic Sapelo Island.
Crump, who is representing the families of three victims, said at a news conference Tuesday that the deaths were "unnecessarily, unjustifiably and ... certainly preventable." He spoke alongside some of the victims' family members and survivors who shared firsthand accounts of the accident and memories of those lost.
The seven died Saturday after part of a dock gangway collapsed as visitors were waiting to board a ferry that was returning to the mainland, sending about 20 people into the water off the coast of Georgia, according to Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials. An estimated 700 people had traveled to and from Sapelo Island that day, about seven times the normal traffic on the ferries that connect the island to the mainland.
The incident occurred during the island's annual Cultural Day, a festival that commemorates the island's Gullah Geechee history. The Gullah Geechee people are descendants of Africans who were enslaved on plantations in the coastal regions of the southeastern United States.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which operates the ferries and dock, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are looking into what caused the "catastrophic failure" of the aluminum gangway, according to Natural Resources Commissioner Walter Rabon.
At Tuesday's news conference, Crump said the victims died of negligence and called for a federal investigation. Natalie Jackson, an attorney with Crump’s team, said lawyers are looking into the entities responsible for the ferry's construction, repairs and day-to-day operations as well as the manufacturers of materials and the design of the gangway.
"They were there for a celebration, and it turned into tragedy because of malfeasance and inadequate infrastructure," Crump said. "We want an investigation on every level, to get the answers to how this happened, and we won't rest until we get those answers, ... We will get justice for the 'Sapelo Seven.'"
Investigation into the collapse
According to authorities, the gangway was crowded with visitors preparing to board a ferry late Saturday afternoon. In the hours after the collapse, Coast Guard helicopters and boats equipped with sonar conducted search-and-rescue operations.
Witnesses and survivors described the collapse as chaotic, with people scrambling to safety and others being swept away by the current. Rabon said about 20 people were plunged into the water and as many as 40 could have been on the gangway at the time of the failure.
On Monday, Rabon said engineers and other experts were investigating what caused the collapse. When asked whether heavy use of the gangway could have contributed to the collapse, Rabon said it was "possible that extra stress" was a factor.
The dock and gangway were constructed in 2021 and last inspected in December, according to Rabon.
Sapelo Island is about 60 miles south of Savannah and is reachable only by boat. The state-run ferry takes about 20 minutes to reach the island.
'These senior citizens were vibrant people'
Authorities identified the seven on Monday. None lived on the island.
Four of the dead, identified as Isaiah Thomas, 79, Carlotta Mcintosh, 93, Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75, and Cynthia Alynn Gibbs, 74, were from Jacksonville, Florida. Two victims − Queen Welch, 76, and William Lee Johnson Jr., 73 − were from the Atlanta area. Another, Charles League Houston, 77, was identified as a Georgia Department of Natural Resources chaplain.
On Tuesday, Crump noted that the seven victims all died in a "tragic, tragic, tragic way" and underscored that they had "so much more life to live."
"These senior citizens were vibrant people," Crump said, adding that "they did not die of natural causes, they died of negligence, and we have to continue to proclaim that over and over and over again."
Families of victims and survivors share emotional accounts
Regina Brinson recalled Saturday's accident through loud sobs. Brinson said she and her uncle, Thomas, were trying to help McIntosh and her walker cross the gangway when it collapsed.
As the three slowly moved across the gangway and arrived in the middle, Brinson said she heard a crack and saw McIntosh plunge into the water.
"All of us ended up in the water, and the currents just pushed probably about a good 10 of us away from the ferry," Brinson said. "It just pushed us and pushed us. It pushed us.”
Brinson said she spotted her uncle as the current swept them away and called to him: "Grab my hand!"
"He grabbed my hand, but he grabbed my shirt too, and he kept pulling me and pulling me and pulling me under the water," she said. "And I kept saying to myself, "Oh my God, I’m going to die.'
"I had to take his fingers, one by one, and peeled them off of my shirt, and I floated back up to the top, and I saw his face, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, what did I do? What did I do?’ And he floated by me,” Brinson said.
Katrena Alexander, Thomas' sister and caregiver, described her brother as loving and kind. Thomas was dedicated to his church and volunteered at its food pantry, Alexander said.
Alexander was able to make it across the gangway but recalled there being "too many people" waiting to board the ferry.
"We heard all the screaming and going on, and so I turned around, and when I turned around, I couldn’t believe what I saw," Alexander said. "I just stood there, looking down in that water, and saw all those people."
Contributing: John Bacon, Paste BN; John Deem, Savannah Morning News; Reuters