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CNN Live At Daybreak

Talk With Survivor of Ferry Crash

Aired October 16, 2003 - 08:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to the toll on the Staten Island ferry crash. Now ten dead, at least 34 injured, some seriously, still hospitalized. The ferry pilot attempted suicide, we are told, after the crash. Now listed in critical condition. Just seconds from docking yesterday afternoon, a routine trip, turned into a scene of terror and carnage.
Peter Murray was a passenger onboard the ferry when it crashed yesterday. He joins us now live here on AMERICAN MORNING.

Peter, nice to see you. How are you doing today?

PETER MURRAY, FERRY PASSENGER: Could be better.

HEMMER: You've brought along something with us. What was that?

MURRAY: What everybody grabbed, life preserver. You know, I guess in memory of the tragedy I was in.

HEMMER: Did you have to use that yesterday?

MURRAY: I thought I did. I thought we was going down. I thought it was a bomb. I thought we were going to head onto another boat. I mean, it felt like we was definitely going down.

HEMMER: Where were you on the ferry?

MURRAY: I was right above where the incident happened.

HEMMER: Did you hear it?

MURRAY: I felt it.

HEMMER: You felt it, because many people say they did not feel it. What did you feel?

MURRAY: I felt rumble. It felt like the whole boat was getting chewed up. And I was actually dozed off. Like when you ride the boat, you usually sleep for that half hour or part of it. You doze off a little bit. And I was on the right side, I was right above where it happened on the middle deck in the front. And I heard some screaming, like oh, my gosh! and like some woman screaming and stuff, and then the next thing you know, everybody just started walking fast and run, I jumped up, I blended into the crowd. I just spread my arms like this, I'm like, "Run!" Because you felt it chewing and like I don't know just like crumbling like. I looked, I seen smoke. I didn't stop until -- I didn't even look back again until I was in the back of the boat. And I'm thinking everybody's just like a little banged up and bruised a little bit. And I went to one side, I went downstairs, and everybody seemed OK. Then I went to the other side, and it was tragedy. It was just tragic.

HEMMER: You see some injured people down there?

MURRAY: Yes. I seen quite a few injured people and some casualties down there.

HEMMER: Beaten up pretty badly?

MURRAY: Torn up pretty badly.

HEMMER: Really?

MURRAY: Yes.

HEMMER: What caused that, do you believe? It was definitely human error. He never -- the pilot never stopped. He never slowed down. Usually, you feel the boat slow down before it hits the dock about approximately maybe five minutes or so ahead of time, you know, before they dock. I'm not sure exactly. But you feel nothing but -- I mean you heard screams and then you just heard -- you felt and heard the crunch of, you know, it scraping against the concrete. And anybody that slept on that bottom deck, that didn't have enough time to get out, and they you know, it's a shame, but you know, they went through stuff that nobody should have to ever go through.

HEMMER: Glad to see you're OK.

MURRAY: Yes.

HEMMER: Peter Murray was a witness on board the ferry from yesterday. You were checked in the hospital. Physically everything all right?

MURRAY: Banged up and bruised, a little sprain. You know, there's people worse than I am, a lot worse.

HEMMER: The interior shots that we're seeing inside that ferry is just a scene of devastation.

MURRAY: Yes.

HEMMER: You can only imagine with it packed with commuters on board what can happen. Peter, good luck to you.

MURRAY: Thank you.

HEMMER: And thanks for sharing your story with us. Good luck.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 16, 2003 - 08:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to the toll on the Staten Island ferry crash. Now ten dead, at least 34 injured, some seriously, still hospitalized. The ferry pilot attempted suicide, we are told, after the crash. Now listed in critical condition. Just seconds from docking yesterday afternoon, a routine trip, turned into a scene of terror and carnage.
Peter Murray was a passenger onboard the ferry when it crashed yesterday. He joins us now live here on AMERICAN MORNING.

Peter, nice to see you. How are you doing today?

PETER MURRAY, FERRY PASSENGER: Could be better.

HEMMER: You've brought along something with us. What was that?

MURRAY: What everybody grabbed, life preserver. You know, I guess in memory of the tragedy I was in.

HEMMER: Did you have to use that yesterday?

MURRAY: I thought I did. I thought we was going down. I thought it was a bomb. I thought we were going to head onto another boat. I mean, it felt like we was definitely going down.

HEMMER: Where were you on the ferry?

MURRAY: I was right above where the incident happened.

HEMMER: Did you hear it?

MURRAY: I felt it.

HEMMER: You felt it, because many people say they did not feel it. What did you feel?

MURRAY: I felt rumble. It felt like the whole boat was getting chewed up. And I was actually dozed off. Like when you ride the boat, you usually sleep for that half hour or part of it. You doze off a little bit. And I was on the right side, I was right above where it happened on the middle deck in the front. And I heard some screaming, like oh, my gosh! and like some woman screaming and stuff, and then the next thing you know, everybody just started walking fast and run, I jumped up, I blended into the crowd. I just spread my arms like this, I'm like, "Run!" Because you felt it chewing and like I don't know just like crumbling like. I looked, I seen smoke. I didn't stop until -- I didn't even look back again until I was in the back of the boat. And I'm thinking everybody's just like a little banged up and bruised a little bit. And I went to one side, I went downstairs, and everybody seemed OK. Then I went to the other side, and it was tragedy. It was just tragic.

HEMMER: You see some injured people down there?

MURRAY: Yes. I seen quite a few injured people and some casualties down there.

HEMMER: Beaten up pretty badly?

MURRAY: Torn up pretty badly.

HEMMER: Really?

MURRAY: Yes.

HEMMER: What caused that, do you believe? It was definitely human error. He never -- the pilot never stopped. He never slowed down. Usually, you feel the boat slow down before it hits the dock about approximately maybe five minutes or so ahead of time, you know, before they dock. I'm not sure exactly. But you feel nothing but -- I mean you heard screams and then you just heard -- you felt and heard the crunch of, you know, it scraping against the concrete. And anybody that slept on that bottom deck, that didn't have enough time to get out, and they you know, it's a shame, but you know, they went through stuff that nobody should have to ever go through.

HEMMER: Glad to see you're OK.

MURRAY: Yes.

HEMMER: Peter Murray was a witness on board the ferry from yesterday. You were checked in the hospital. Physically everything all right?

MURRAY: Banged up and bruised, a little sprain. You know, there's people worse than I am, a lot worse.

HEMMER: The interior shots that we're seeing inside that ferry is just a scene of devastation.

MURRAY: Yes.

HEMMER: You can only imagine with it packed with commuters on board what can happen. Peter, good luck to you.

MURRAY: Thank you.

HEMMER: And thanks for sharing your story with us. Good luck.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com