"Everyone was submerged in the water": Relatives of the affected and surviving witnesses share heartfelt narratives about the Sapelo Island pier collapse incident.
Legal advocate Ben Crump, accompanied by some of the bereaved family members and survivors who fell into the water after the aluminum bridge they were standing on crumpled, asserted at Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, on Tuesday, that their deaths were "unconsciously, unjustifiably, and undeniably avoidable." Crump represents the families of three deceased individuals.
Among the multitude of vacationers who converged on Sapelo Island over the weekend to celebrate the Gullah-Geechee, a community of descendants of enslaved Africans on coastal plantations in the Southern region, at least seven individuals perished in the unfortunate incident. As the crowd prepared to board the ferry back to the mainland, the gangway at the visitor dock on the ferry crashed down, plunging at least twenty individuals into the Duplin River, as revealed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
"We demand a thorough investigation at every level to uncover the explanations behind this incident," Crump demanded during the press conference. "They had gathered for a joyous occasion, but it turned into a sorrowful incident due to neglect and inadequate infrastructure," he said.
Crump maintains that negligence was the root cause of the occurrence and has requested a federal probe. Natalie Jackson, a member of Crump's legal team, declared at the news conference that they will probe the parties responsible for daily operations and repairs, along with the manufacturers of the materials and the design of the gangway.
"We will seek justice for the 'Sapelo Seven,'" Crump proclaimed.
Yvette Jackson, an elderly traveler on a family trip to Sapelo Island, just managed to cross the gangway before its collapse and shared at the press conference, "It was the most harrowing experience I have ever encountered."
"We could hear the screams and commotion, and by the time I looked back, I was stunned by what I saw," Katrena Alexander, Jackson's aunt and also a survivor, said, choking back tears. "I saw everyone in the water."
Shortly afterwards, Alexander cried out, "Regina, Regina, where's Regina? Oh, my God, where's my Regina?" Her daughter, Regina Brinson, was one of those who had fallen into the water but managed to survive.
Footage of the aftermath shows individuals clinging to a hanging section of the walkway at a steep angle in the water.
Brinson recounted her efforts to help 93-year-old Carlotta McIntosh and her walker cross the gangway, enlisting her uncle, Isaiah Thomas, to aid her. Unfortunately, all three plunged into the water.
"I heard a snap, then I looked around and only remembered releasing the walker and seeing Miss Carlotta plummet into the water," Brinson said. "We all ended up in the water, and the currents pushed us further away from the ferry."
Many individuals are seen bobbing in the water as life jackets are thrown at them from the shore, followed by their further drift away from the incident site.
Brinson reported spotting her uncle in the water and shouted for him to grab her hand. "He held my hand, but he also gripped my shirt too tightly and dragged me underwater. I kept thinking to myself, 'I'm going to die,'" she said.
Brinson told of having to pry her uncle's fingers off her shirt, one by one, and floating back to the surface. "I saw his face, and I thought, 'Oh my God, what have I done?' And he floated away," she said. Thomas did not survive.
"As you can see, we desperately need psychological counseling for the PTSD," Crump said at the press conference.
Pearl Davis, another victim who fell into the water, expressed her sentiments during the conference, "Nobody knows what it's like to be submerged underwater and be rescued by somebody. It's a dream you wish you hadn't had."
"To return to the bus with your companions, only to miss those who were with you - it's truly heart-wrenching," she concluded.
CNN’s Nick Valencia contributed to this report.
"We, as the affected families, are seeking accountability and justice for our loved ones who lost their lives in this preventable tragedy," us stated during the press conference.
"The loss of our family members has left us shattered, and we will not rest until the responsible parties are held accountable," said one of the bereaved family members.
