FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A water taxi crashed into a parked boat in Fort Lauderdale after it experienced a mechanical issue, the water taxi company’s president said.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue units responded to the crash at 500 SE Fifth Ave., Friday night.
Officials said the incident led to minor damage to both boats.
Passengers reacted to the bumpy ride.
“It was very, very, very scary. As soon as we left the dock, we started to hear all this noise, and he started to hit boats, and we came down the river, ‘bang, bang, bang,'” said Peggy Seckular. “He told us to brace ourselves because he was going to hit into here. So everybody held on, and we smashed into the dock over here.”
“It was very scary. We’ve lived here 45 years; never have we ever had any type of accident on the ocean or Intracoastal,” said another passenger. “It’s nobody’s fault. Stuff like this happens, and nobody got hurt.”
The private company told 7News that it was an unpleasant ride for their customers.
“Unfortunately, one of our vessels tonight had a mechanical issue that ended up affecting its steering,” said Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi President Greg Farley.
Passengers on the water taxi were disembarked onto a water shuttle.
“We love our guests. That’s our favorite part of our water taxis, is the people that we get to host and entertain every day. Like I said, this isn’t something that happens often or ever with us, but it is something that we do prepare for and train for,” said Farley, “so the crew jumped right on things and took the necessary steps that they needed to, to ensure everyone’s safety until we were able to get them off the vessel.”
Despite being filled with passengers, no injuries were reported.
The company said they will review the water taxi involved to address any issues with it.
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