The dock collapse in St. Marys result in dozens of lawsuits against the town
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Morgan & Morgan filed four lawsuits against the City of St. Marys on Thursday, after a dock collapsed and hurt 17 people.
The lawsuits say that the plaintiffs were hurt when a boat ramp fell on them.
Here is what Morgan & Morgan lawyers John Morgan and Kendall Shortway had to say:
“It’s safe to assume that public structures like bridges and boat docks were built and put in place in accordance with safety rules and codes. Our clients were wrong to put their trust in the City of St. Mary’s. The lawsuit says that the scary collapse of the dock caused our clients serious and life-changing injuries, and that some of them are still trying to get better. We think this was a terrible mistake on the part of the city government and the contractors it hired, and we will do everything we can to make them pay.”
When a dock in St. Mary’s, Georgia, fell down on September 20, 2022, it hurt 17 people and sent 6 to the hospital.
According to City Manager Robby Horton, the dock collapsed at 10:14 a.m. when retired submarine sailors from the USS Angler and their spouses got together for a tour and river cruise on the St. Mary’s River.
Their river cruise boat was tied to a floating dock, and people were making their way to the dock when a metal walkway attached to the pier gave way and fell.
He says that between 17 and 20 people were walking along this part of the pier when it broke.
People on the pier and people who were involved in the accident both said they heard a loud noise right before the walkway fell into the river.
“We heard something go bang. Then we heard yelling and someone shouting for someone to call 911 “Rosemary Livingood, who lives in Kingsland, said.
Rosemary Livingood and her husband were nearby fishing and crabbing when the dock broke. They jumped into action to help.
“When I got there, an old man and his wife were hurt on one end of the dock, and another six people were hurt on the other end. I stood there and did what I could until EMS and the sheriff’s department arrived, then I let them take over “Livingood said.
Rosemary Livingood and her husband were nearby fishing and crabbing when the dock broke. They jumped into action to help.
“When I got there, an old man and his wife were hurt on one end of the dock, and another six people were hurt on the other end. I stood there and did what I could until EMS and the sheriff’s department arrived, then I let them take over “Livingood said.
Horton says that in total, 17 people were hurt, and six of them were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Horton says that the people who were hurt were mostly seniors and that many of them only got bruises.
Horton says that the public has been able to use the dock for about three years and that the city did not know of any structural problems.
“We are in the process of talking to our engineers, our contractors, our insurance company, and everyone else, so this is going to take a while to figure out,” he said “Robert Horton, the city manager, said.
The boat ramps on the St. Marys River at St. Mary’s Street will be open again, but the docks will be closed for a short time that has not yet been decided.
Horton said that the pier will be closed so that engineers can look at it and fix any problems so that there won’t be any more accidents or problems for people who want to enjoy the St. Marys waterfront.
In a statement, Horton said, “The City of St. Marys takes the safety of its residents very seriously and will continue to do everything it can to keep that promise.” “We ask for people to be patient while we look into what happened and to keep the families who were hurt by what happened today in their thoughts and prayers.
The National Parks Service, the St. Marys Police Department, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, St. Marys Fire Rescue, Camden County Fire Rescue, King’s Bay Fire Rescue, and Camden Emergency Management were all there Tuesday.
