The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) deployed a team of investigators this Friday following a collision involving the Navark Falcon Millenium river shuttle and a pleasure boat traveling at very high speed, Thursday, near Longueuil . The accident left eight minor injuries, including a child.
The accident occurred around 3:30 p.m., near Charron Island, a place very popular with boaters.
“It was a cigarette boat type boat that hit our shuttle, according to what I understood from the testimony of our captain and the sailor,” says Isabelle Saulnier, spokesperson for Navark, the company that provides the river link between the Old Port of Montreal and Boucherville. The two employees were encountered by the police and Transport Canada. “What emerges is that the pleasure craft had an impressive speed,” adds Ms. Saulnier.
The GPS data recorded in real time by the company show, according to Ms. Saulnier, that the shuttle was on its usual route, at its usual speed, except at the very end, when it deviated to try to avoid the other boat.
There is no speed limit in this area, as is the case in most places on the river. “It’s a difficult area, where you find all kinds of boats, with people who don’t necessarily know the rules of navigation and who are sometimes not in a condition to drive a boat,” notes Ms. Saulnier.
Nearly forty passengers were on board the river shuttle, which was shaken by the impact, according to Ms. Saulnier. The passengers who were injured were possibly on the forward deck of the ship and were thrown to the ground. “It gave a pretty strong blow,” says Ms. Saulnier. There were also one or two people who had some discomfort inside. »
Seven women aged 30 to 50 and a six-year-old child were rushed to hospital in four ambulances for injuries considered minor. “We do not fear for their lives,” says spokesperson Renaud Pilon. “We feared concussions,” says Ms. Saulnier.
Police officers and firefighters helped paramedics evacuate passengers from the boat. “This is not the kind of operation we do every day,” emphasizes Mr. Pilon.
The pilot of the boat which hit the shuttle would have continued without stopping, says Mr. Pilon. According to Ms. Saulnier, another Navark boat which was in the area would have followed the boat, which was heading east and possibly had radio communication with its captain.
The Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency responsible for investigating air, rail and marine accidents, will conduct interviews with witnesses over the coming days. “Our investigators will arrive on site [this Friday] afternoon,” says spokesperson Hugo Fontaine.
The role of the TSB is to determine the causes of an accident and to make recommendations, and not to assign civil or criminal responsibilities to the actors involved.
The Navark Millennium Falcon, with a capacity of 47 passengers, cannot be repaired until the investigation has been completed. Navark, which owns around twenty boats, however assures that the accident has no impact on the shuttle service between the Old Port and Boucherville. The company emphasizes having contacted an organization to offer psychological help to the passengers who were present. “This is the first time we have experienced something like this in almost 30 years of sailing. We have very strong thoughts for our passengers,” insists Ms. Saulnier.
