(Photo courtesy John Silva)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The ferry run between Hull and Boston by the MBTA ran aground Friday morning, leaving several people with injuries.
MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said the ferry boat, MV Lightning, was "cut off by a sport fishing boat off Long Island Head" while it was heading for Boston in thick fog around 7:51 a.m.
There were four injuries among the 84 people aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said. State Police said at least one of the injuries was "potentially serious."
There was a large response to the ferry grounding, with Coast Guard crews from Station Boston and Point Allerton joined by Boston Police, Boston Fire, Massport, State Police, and Massachusetts Environmental Police.
Monique Duarte was on her way to work on the ferry, and told WBZ NewsRadio's Shari Small what the crash felt like.
"It felt like a car accident, I think just on a larger magnitude," she said. "A gentleman ran forward past me, he literally rolled three aisles ahead. He has arm injuries, and then there was a woman upstairs who, her head was bandaged."
Passenger Bruce McWarder said people were "just kind of lurched forward."
"A couple of people were sort of standing in the aisles and they fell down," he said. "We were just kind of sitting there and wondering what would happen next."
The injured were offloaded and transferred to area hospitals, while the rest of the passengers were transferred to smaller vessels. They had about two hours added to their commute.
The MV Lightning was refloated, and is now docked in Charlestown. State Police said the ferry freed itself from the bottom with the help of the current, but was damaged.
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WBZ NewsRadio's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports