Boater In Fatal FL Ferry Crash, Victim Killed Identified By FWC

Updated: 7:15 p.m., Monday

CLEARWATER, FL — The boat driver who officials said struck the back of the Clearwater Ferry Sunday night, leaving one person dead and seriously injuring multiple others, has been identified as Jeffry Knight, authorities said Monday.

The victim who died in the crash in Clearwater Bay has been identified as Jose Castro, 41, of Palm Harbor, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Knight was the operator of the recreational boat that crashed into the ferry, the agency said.

The operator of the ferry was Dennis Kimerer.

A spokesperson for the FWC said during a Monday afternoon news conference, before Knight was publicly identified, that the operator of the boat willingly provided a breath alcohol sample, which showed no sign of alcohol. (Watch the full news conference below.)

The driver voluntarily took a Breathalyzer tested that registered a .000, the FWC spokesperson said. There have been no arrests or charges filed in the crash as of late Monday afternoon, the agency said.

A 37-foot-long recreational vessel with six people on board collided with the ferry, which had 44 passengers, a spokesperson for FWC said in a video shared by IONTB on X.

After the crash, the boat left the scene and went to the Belleair Causeway Boat Ramp, where the driver was contacted by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, FWC said.

Both vessels involved in the crash have since been secured as evidence, the agency said.

The privately owned Clearwater Ferry, which had dozens of people aboard, was struck by another boat that then left the scene just south of the bridge, the Clearwater Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.

After the crash, the ferry came to rest on a sandbar just south of the Memorial Causeway Bridge.

A crew member reported that the ferry was hit by a boat and there were injuries aboard it to the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF-FM channel 16 around 8:40 p.m., the military branch said in a news release.
Police and members of the Clearwater Fire & Rescue, as well as Coast Guard Station Sand Key crews , responded to the crash around 8:45 p.m. Sunday.

911 dispatchers heard "horrific screaming" in the background of calls about the incident, Chief Eric Gandy said during the news conference.

Fire officials declared the crash a mass casualty incident because of the number and severity of injuries.

Six patients were declared trauma alerts with two of them being brought to a local hospital by helicopter, police said. One person later died from his injuries.

The Coast Guard said in a social media post that on-scene reports indicate that all people on the ferry and the recreational boat were accounted for. In an update on Monday morning, the Coast Guard said 12 people were taken to a local hospital.

Those injured suffered broken bones, orthopedic injuries, head injuries and soft tissue injuries, authorities said during Monday's news conference.

“You never expect any of this to happen,” Brenda Alvarez said. “We can’t understand how fast they were going, like how that is even logically possible that they hit and were able to get off like that.”

Her family was not injured in the crash.

While first responders helped bring the victims to shore, a number of Good Samaritan boaters help rescue them from the water. Four even walked ashore, authorities said.

Clearwater Ferry said in a statement that because of the ongoing investigation the company and its partner, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, aren't available for interviews about the crash.

"We are heartbroken for the person who lost their life, everyone who was hurt, and their families," Clearwater Ferry said in a statement. "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 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will handle the crash investigation, with assistance from the Coast Guard, which is leading the administrative investigation into the ferry, which is a U.S. Coast Guard-inspected vessel.

“We’d like to offer our deepest condolences to the loved one of the deceased,” Commander Fredrick Pugh, chief of response, U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, said in a provided statement. “Coast Guard investigative officers and FWC are working to determine the cause of the collision and verify the details leading up to the incident.”

The FWC spokesperson said, “Those who flee the scene of a collision and endanger lives will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

The crash happened on the final day of the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival on Clearwater Beach. The event drew about 200,000 during its 17-day run last year, according to the city.

Includes reporting from The Associated Press.

This article will be updated as more information about the crash becomes available.

Watch the Monday afternoon news conference about the crash below: