On a fateful day meant for celebration, a cultural festival on Sapelo Island, Georgia turned into a scene of unimaginable horror as a dock collapsed, sending dozens of visitors plummeting into the water. Among the eyewitnesses to this tragic event was 84-year-old Daisy Hicks, who recounted the harrowing details of what she saw.
“I can still see those people bobbling around in that water,” Hicks said, her voice trembling with emotion. “I can still hear people screaming. I can still see [a] lady that was [subsequently] going around asking for blankets” to carry before the arrival of rescue equipment.
A Day of Celebration Turns Tragic
Sapelo Island, home to the last Gullah Geechee community of Black descendants, was hosting its annual cultural festival when the unthinkable occurred. About 40 people, many of them elderly and using walkers or wheelchairs, were waiting on an aluminum dock for a ferry to take them back to the mainland. Suddenly, the gangway collapsed, sending at least 20 people into the water.
Hicks, who had traveled to the island as part of her senior traveling club, noticed something alarming just before the collapse. “I think it was too much weight on it because they had all them walkers, they had all them wheelchairs, they had all them people and that thing just [went] ‘bam’ – it just went out,” she recounted.
A Scene of Horror and Helplessness
The water where the dock collapsed was laden with sharp oyster shells due to a low tide, making the situation even more perilous for those who fell in. Not everyone could be rescued or save themselves. Seven people, ranging in age from 74 to 93, lost their lives in the tragedy.
Among the victims was 93-year-old Carlotta McIntosh, the oldest person to die in the collapse. She had been part of Hicks’ tour group. “Everywhere that club goes she would always be there,” Hicks said of McIntosh. “She had a walker but she could still get on that walker and go.”
“It’s a day I don’t want to see [any] more.”
– Daisy Hicks, eyewitness to the Sapelo Island dock collapse
A Community and Families Left Reeling
The shock and devastation of the dock collapse have left the Gullah Geechee community and the victims’ families struggling to come to terms with their loss. McIntosh’s granddaughter, Atiyya Hassan, told a local news outlet, “The shock has [not] worn down yet. I wanted people to know she’s vibrant. She was independent. She lived by herself. She got tens of thousands of people registered to vote. She was very active in her community.”
As investigations into the cause of the structural failure continue, renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump has announced that he will be representing the families of three of the deceased and one person who was hospitalized. “This should never have happened, and it is crucial that we prevent future tragedies by addressing the negligence that led to this horrific event,” Crump stated.
A Tragedy That Should Never Have Happened
For Daisy Hicks and the countless others affected by the Sapelo Island dock collapse, the pain and trauma of that day will forever be etched in their memories. “Everybody would have come back, and we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in right now,” Hicks lamented, her words a haunting reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of ensuring the safety of our infrastructure.
As the Gullah Geechee community mourns their losses and seeks answers, the nation is left to grapple with the sobering reality that such tragedies can occur in an instant, forever altering the lives of those involved. The Sapelo Island dock collapse serves as a stark reminder of the critical need for vigilant maintenance and oversight of our public structures, so that no more lives are needlessly lost.
Among the victims was 93-year-old Carlotta McIntosh, the oldest person to die in the collapse. She had been part of Hicks’ tour group. “Everywhere that club goes she would always be there,” Hicks said of McIntosh. “She had a walker but she could still get on that walker and go.”
“It’s a day I don’t want to see [any] more.”
– Daisy Hicks, eyewitness to the Sapelo Island dock collapse
A Community and Families Left Reeling
The shock and devastation of the dock collapse have left the Gullah Geechee community and the victims’ families struggling to come to terms with their loss. McIntosh’s granddaughter, Atiyya Hassan, told a local news outlet, “The shock has [not] worn down yet. I wanted people to know she’s vibrant. She was independent. She lived by herself. She got tens of thousands of people registered to vote. She was very active in her community.”
As investigations into the cause of the structural failure continue, renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump has announced that he will be representing the families of three of the deceased and one person who was hospitalized. “This should never have happened, and it is crucial that we prevent future tragedies by addressing the negligence that led to this horrific event,” Crump stated.
A Tragedy That Should Never Have Happened
For Daisy Hicks and the countless others affected by the Sapelo Island dock collapse, the pain and trauma of that day will forever be etched in their memories. “Everybody would have come back, and we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in right now,” Hicks lamented, her words a haunting reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of ensuring the safety of our infrastructure.
As the Gullah Geechee community mourns their losses and seeks answers, the nation is left to grapple with the sobering reality that such tragedies can occur in an instant, forever altering the lives of those involved. The Sapelo Island dock collapse serves as a stark reminder of the critical need for vigilant maintenance and oversight of our public structures, so that no more lives are needlessly lost.
