Engineering firm investigates deadly dock collapse on Sapelo Island

SAPELLO ISLAND, GA. – Georgia Attorney General Hires Engineering Firm to Conduct Independent Investigation fatal dock collapse on Sapelo Island in Georgia during a celebration of the historic Gullah Geechee people, founded by black descendants of slaves.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which operates the pier, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation have already launched a state investigation into the incident over the weekend. The government investigation will continue as the firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates conducts its own investigation.

Seven people, all over 70, died after an aluminum gangway collapsed last week. Officials say about 40 people were standing on the dock when it broke, and about 20 were submerged in the water, many of them caught in strong currents as they struggled for air. Eight people were taken to hospital and at least six were seriously injured.

Two victims were still hospitalized as of Thursday, authorities said.

The state investigation could take a long time as agencies interview witnesses and gather other evidence, including testing a drain at a “protected site,” Walter Rabon, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said Tuesday, according to the report. Atlanta-Journal of Constitution.

Rabon said the ramp was inspected by Georgia-based Crescent Equipment Co. less than a year ago and by the Department of Natural Resources after the recent hurricanes Helen and Milton.

The department oversees dock operations on the island, which is accessible only by boat and has no medical facilities. Seven hundred people visited Hogg Hammock on Saturday for the Gullah Geechee Nation’s annual Cultural Day festival, which celebrates the community’s history. The island was bustling with activity that day, despite ongoing gentrification and rising taxes. Many Gullah Geechee members left the island and moved to areas with greater opportunities and infrastructure.

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represents relatives of the three victims, said on Tuesday that he does not trust the state to investigate the collapse. He called on the Justice Department to investigate.

The 80-foot ramp was supposed to accommodate 320 people, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The pier was restored in 2021 after residents sued Georgia officials over federal accessibility standards for people with disabilities on ferries and docks.

Hogg Hammock residents also argued in the 2021 lawsuit that McIntosh County did not provide the island with enough emergency resources. IN settlement with societyMcIntosh agreed to partially improve emergency services by building a helicopter landing pad. Local residents say the launch site has not yet been built. A helicopter evacuating people after the collapse instead landed in an overgrown field.

Members of the Gullah Geechee community on Sapelo Island and beyond are still grieving. Residents of Jacksonville, Florida, gathered Thursday for a prayer vigil to support grieving families at the local African Methodist Episcopal Church, along with local pastors and politicians. Parishioners paid tribute to the victims, whom some now call the “Sapelo Seven.”