The head of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday an investigation into the fatal collapse last weekend of a gangway at Sapelo Island will take time.
DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon said a “critical incident reconstruction team” is working now with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to gather evidence and interview witnesses. Seven people were killed Saturday when the structure collapsed, sending nearly two dozen people into the water.
“I know each of you probably have an idea of how many witnesses are having to be interviewed by our folks at this time, so a lot of work is going on as we sit here today,” Rabon told the agency’s board during its scheduled monthly meeting.
Rabon said about 700 people had gathered on the island Saturday for the annual Sapelo Cultural Day celebration, when the event took a horrific turn.
In the late afternoon, as visitors waited at the Marsh Landing Dock to catch boats back to the mainland, an aluminum bridge leading out to the end of the dock buckled. Officials said about 20 of the 40 people who were on the gangway fell into the water below after it suffered a “catastrophic failure.”
DNR manages Sapelo and operates boats that transport visitors to the barrier island, which is only reachable by watercraft. Sapelo is home to several dozen descendants of freed slaves, or Gullah Geechee, who have lived on the island for generations in the small community of Hog Hammock.
Rabon briefed the agency’s 19-member board, which is appointed by the governor. He said the gangway has been taken to a “secure facility” for further examination.
DNR, the McIntosh County Fire Department, the McIntosh Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard were among the agencies that responded to the incident, using boats with side-scan sonar and helicopters to search for survivors.
On Tuesday, Rabon said the gangway had been inspected less than a year ago by Georgia-based Crescent Equipment Co. A representative from Crescent, who answered the phone but declined to provide their name, said the company has “no comment.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
DNR staff also conducted “visual inspections” of the bridge after hurricanes Helene and Milton passed by the area, he said. DNR Deputy Commissioner Trevor Santos said the inspections, which included examinations of the top and bottom sides of the docks and gangways, found no concerns.
On Tuesday, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter saw investigators with the firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates on Sapelo Island viewing the remnants of the gangway and landing while being escorted by DNR staff.
Credit: Illustration by ArLuther Lee
Credit: Illustration by ArLuther Lee
Some Sapelo residents have said they had raised concerns about the gangway’s safety prior to the collapse. In a statement, Santos said DNR is “not aware of any correspondence from residents relating to the safety of the gangways prior to October 19.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the families of many of the victims, has called on the federal government to open an inquiry into the collapse.
Several people were also injured in the incident, but Rabon said one of the three victims remaining in the hospital was released Monday.
At Tuesday’s board meeting, Rabon also praised the actions of his staff, first responders and bystanders who helped to pull people to safety.
“There’s no telling how many lives that were saved that day ... by first responders and the good Samaritans who were present,” Rabon said.
- Staff writers Adam Van Brimmer and Taylor Croft contributed to this report.
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