Boater in Clearwater Ferry crash didn’t show signs of impairment, officials say

CLEARWATER — The driver of the boat that hit a Clearwater Ferry , killing one person and injuring several others Sunday night, showed no signs of impairment during a sobriety test, but investigators are working to determine whether to charge him with leaving the scene of a crash, officials said Monday. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is investigating the crash, identified Jeff Knight as the operator of the center console boat. The wildlife commission said Knight was cooperative and voluntarily took a Breathalyzer test Sunday night, which registered no alcohol in his system. The ferry had been carrying 45 people , including two crew members, from Clearwater Beach when the collision was first reported at 8:43 p.m. An audio recording released Monday by the Coast Guard captured the mayday call from a crew member. “Mayday, mayday, mayday. There’s been a boat collision. The Clearwater Ferry, uh, underneath the Clearwater Memorial Causeway. The Clearwater Ferry is adrift.” The crash killed one person, whom authorities on Monday identified as Jose Castro, 41, of Palm Harbor.Because of the number of injuries, Clearwater’s fire department declared the crash a “mass casualty event.” That meant all local hospitals were alerted to expect patients. “Even before the first responders arrived on scene, we knew we were dealing with a major situation,” Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy said Monday. Emergency call takers heard “horrific screaming in the background” of 911 calls, Gandy said. By Monday morning, eight of the injured had been discharged from BayCare hospitals in Pinellas County and Tampa, BayCare spokesperson Lisa Razler said. One passenger was still being treated at Mease Countryside Hospital. Two passengers who were taken to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital on Sunday night are stable, said spokesperson Sandra Bentil. Video of the incident released by the Clearwater Police Department shows the ferry traveling east of the channel near the Memorial Causeway bridge, and the recreational boat coming up from behind. “There’s a point of impact where it looks to be that it overrode nearly three-quarters of the ferry,” Gandy said. Knight left after the crash and was found about 3½ miles south near the Belleair Causeway. Wildlife officials said “approximately six passengers” were on board the boat. The crash Sunday was a sudden and violent setback for the ferry.Founded in 2015, the Clearwater Ferry was initially a privately owned water taxi to shuttle between downtown Clearwater and Clearwater Beach. It set out to provide relief for congestion-weary motorists. Instead of traveling on the Memorial Causeway, passengers of the ferry would sail below it.It was such a hit that by 2023, the state granted the company running it $1 million to buy two other boats to ramp up service. As of Sunday, the ferry’s website said that the service was composed of three vessels. Maddies’s Crossing, once called the Sunshine Express, can hold 42 passengers. Hailey’s Crossing can hold 21. Monica’s Crossing can hold up to 63.The ferry routes had served Clearwater and Dunedin with stops at downtown Clearwater, Clearwater Beach Marina and Dunedin Marina, which is near breweries, shops and restaurants. But last year’s hurricanes interrupted service to Dunedin because the docks had been severely damaged.The Pinellas transit agency took over the Clearwater Ferry earlier this year, expanding its frequency because of growing demand. During a Jan. 31 launch event at Clearwater Harbor Marina, Brad Miller, the CEO of Pinellas County’s transit agency, said the ferry was part of an effort to provide more transit options for residents.Fares range from $2.50 to $5.“We are heartbroken for the person who lost their life, everyone who was hurt, and their families,” the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Agency said in a statement on X . “We deeply appreciate the dedication of the first responders and others who rushed to help Sunday night. We are cooperating with the investigation. Safety is the top priority for PSTA and the Clearwater Ferry.”The ferry crash happened hours after two people were injured when a boat crashed into the Sand Key Park jetty, a couple of miles to the west. That crash happened about 5 a.m. Sunday in Clearwater Pass as two boats were returning from an offshore fishing trip, according to a Florida Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson.One of the boats with five occupants on board struck the jetty at Sand Key Park. The boat’s operator was thrown overboard, and a second person on the boat was also injured. The other boat brought the two injured people to the Seminole Park boat ramp. They were taken to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg to be treated for injuries that officials believe were not life-threatening, according to the Clearwater Police Department, which responded along with city fire rescue crews.The wildlife commission is investigating that crash, and no other information was available for release, the spokesperson said. Times staff writers Christopher O’Donnell, Zachary T. Sampson, Emily L. Mahoney, Tony Marrero, Jack Prator, Teghan Simonton and Bethany Barnes contributed to this report.