One dead and several injured after hit-and-run ferry crash in Florida

One person has died and multiple others were injured after a recreational boat collided with a ferry near the Memorial Causeway Bridge in Clearwater, Florida, on Sunday night (27 April 2025). The incident has been declared a “mass casualty event” due to the number and severity of injuries.

The collision occurred around 8:30pm local time as the ferry, carrying 45 people, including two crew members, was transporting passengers from the Sugar Sand Festival. The privately owned boat left the scene and was later identified by another law enforcement agency, officials said.

Authorities have so far released few details about the boat that hit the ferry. It has been reported that the vessel had six people on board.

Picture of the Clearwater ferry that was involved in the incident tonight. pic.twitter.com/lMs4d0eJfY

— Mike's Weather Page (@tropicalupdate) April 28, 2025

Six people on the ferry were declared “trauma alerts”, including two who were flown to Baycare Health hospital. Rob Shaw, a spokesperson for Clearwater police, told CNN that one of the injured later died. Authorities confirmed all passengers were accounted for and no one was reported missing.

Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector confirmed to ABC Action News that the ferry was struck by a privately owned vessel. Shaw described the aftermath as a “chaotic scene,” with “good samaritans” helping evacuate passengers. Some were able to walk to shore from a sandbar where the ferry came to rest, while firefighters entered the water to assist others. Noone has been reported missing.

Brenda Alvarez, who is 31 weeks pregnant, was on board with her three- and one-year-old children. Speaking to ABC Action News, she said: “We are actually going to go to the hospital right now to get checked because I’m a little worried I haven’t felt the baby move. It’s very scary. I fell between two seats, and my whole body hurts right now.

“We just wanted to get to our cars and get home. You never expect anything to happen. We can’t understand how fast they were going, like how that was even logically possible that they hit and were able to get off like that … It shattered the whole back of the boat, left a huge dent.” Speaking with WFTS, Alvarez added, “We can’t understand how fast they were going.” Her husband says he recalled hearing the first mate yell, “hey, hey, hey,” moments before impact.

Authorities have requested that anyone with information or video of the crash contact the police.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will lead the investigation into the incident, assisted by the US Coast Guard.