The man piloting a boat that fatally slammed into a Florida ferry over the weekend was not inebriated during the accident, officials said.
Jeff Knight passed sobriety tests when he was detained Sunday after fleeing from the deadly wreck in Clearwater Sunday night, which left one ferry passenger dead and numerous injured in the waterway off Tampa Bay.
He was reportedly cooperative and a breathalyzer test found no alcohol in his system, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission announced Monday.
Knight was allegedly driving a private boat carrying about six passengers when he slammed at a high speed into the back of the Clearwater Ferry, which was loaded with 45 passengers.
The collision left the ferry’s stern mangled and canopy shredded — then Knight allegedly sped away and left the ferry high and dry, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
At least 10 ferry passengers were injured — with two requiring airlifts — while Jose Castro, 41, was killed.
“Even before the first responders arrived on scene, we knew we were dealing with a major situation,” Clearwater Chief of Police Eric Gandy told reporters Monday, describing “horrific screaming” that could be heard in the background of the emergency call.
Knight’s boat appeared to have “overrode nearly three-quarters of the ferry,” Gandy added. The suspect was later found on his boat almost four miles away.
The ferry came to a rest on a sandbar, where authorities rushed to evacuate the passengers.
Their injuries ranged from broken bones to head injuries and other traumas.
Among the passengers was Brenda Alvarez — 31 weeks pregnant — who was thrown from her seat and left covered in bruises.
“It’s very scary. I fell between two seats, and my whole body hurts right now,” she told ABC Action News, explaining that she checked herself into the hospital just to be safe.
“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,” she added. “It shattered the whole back of the boat, left a huge dent.”
The incident happened at the close of the Sugar Sand Festival, and the ferry was helping carry people back and forth from the festivities.
Knight could face charges for leaving the scene of a crash, according to officials.
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