SAME STATEN ISLAND FERRY CRASHES AGAIN

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Once again the Staten Island ferry crashed into the ferry terminal this morning, injuring dozens of people according to the New York police said. An eyewitness told CNN The boat accelerated as it approached the pier, then crashed. The accident happened around 9:25 a.m. The police said 252 passengers and 18 crew members were on board at the time. CNN has reported that at least 55 were hurt, while The New York Times put the figure at 37 injured. The ferry was the famed Andrew J. Barberi, which was the same boat that crashed in 2003, killing 11 people and injuring dozens. The boat may have crashed because of an engine malfunction as it approached the terminal.The captain sounded the alarm about one minute before the crash because he was unable to slow the boat down, CNN reported. Crew members tried to move passengers to the back of the ferry as it collided with the terminal at a speed of about 5.75 miles per hour. The impact left two breaches in the boat's hull, one about 4 feet by 6 feet and the other 4 feet by 4 feet. Eyewitnesses told media outlets they saw flames rise and black smoke coming out of the back of the boat. The boat crashed in 2003 after the pilot, Richard Smith, lost consciousness at the helm because he had been taking pain medication. Smith fled the scene and later tried to commit suicide at his Staten Island home. He eventually pled guilty to 11 counts of seamen's manslaughter. The Barberi was recommissioned at a cost of almost $9 million and put back into service after the accident.