Mother Describes ‘Pure Terror' as Disney World Ferry Slammed into Dock at 'Full Speed' (Exclusive)
A mother is recalling the moment her Disney World ferry crashed into a dock on July 30
Deanna D. spent the day at Magic Kingdom with her husband and two daughters before the nighttime parade was cancelled due to impending rain
Deanna claims she suffered a hand and foot injury as a result of the incidentA recent Walt Disney World guest is recounting the moment her ferry boat crashed into a dock at 'full speed.'
Deanna D., who requested to be identified with an abbreviated last name for privacy reasons, was visiting Magic Kingdom park with her husband and two daughters, 7 and 10, on Wednesday, July 30. The family stuck around until the park closed to see the nighttime parade, but cast members informed guests it would be cancelled due to impending rain. According to Deanna, staff directed guests out of the park and recommended taking the monorail or ferry boats to get back to the Transportation and Ticket Center, where they had parked.
The family, having already taken the monorail in the morning, opted to take a ferry.
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On board, the family split up: Deanna took one daughter to the upper deck while her husband and their other daughter stayed down below. Although it was both 'dark' and 'rainy,' Deanna claims she was still able to see the incoming transit hub as they motored across the Seven Seas Lagoon. As the boat made its approach, Deanna kept her daughter seated while she stood up. But then the unexpected happened.
'The boat hit with full speed, I mean, it went full speed into this barrier,' Deanna tells PEOPLE.
She describes her feelings in that moment as "just pure terror. It was like being on the frickin' Titanic… People were thinking the boat was going down, a pregnant woman fell down, there were kids at the front of the boat when it happened and got crushed into the railing.'
Deanna claims there was no warning before the passengers were jolted forward and no response from the crew afterwards.
'Absolutely nothing was said,' she claims. 'No apologies, nothing."
Instead, Deanna says the other passengers on the boat were helping one another to safety. One woman hugged and comforted Deanna's daughter during the ordeal.
'I had a small child, literally screaming because she was scared. She wasn't hurt, but she was just absolutely terrified,' she says. 'As a parent, it sends you into this fight or flight. I'm still shaking thinking about it.'
After the family got off the boat, she remembers seeing cop cars 'everywhere' and a 'handful' of ambulances. She says emergency service personnel from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) and Orange and Osceola Counties were on site.
Representatives for the Orange County Fire and Rescue Department and Osceola Fire Rescue confirmed to PEOPLE that officials responded to the incident as part of a mutual aid agreement with CFTOD (Walt Disney World's special jurisdiction). The 'District' did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
While shaken, the family still visited Animal Kingdom the following day for their final day in the parks. Deanna, who says she experienced a rope burn while trying to grab something during her fall on the boat, requested an evaluation at the park's medical office.
The medic 'did mention that there was heavy bruising on my hand and it had a lack of mobility. Unfortunately, all she could do was give me Ibuprofen and some ice,' Deanna remembers. Additionally, Deanna claims her foot suffered an injury as she struggled to walk and was unable to work on Aug. 1.
'I've been going to Disney for 25 years and I can't see myself going back because now I'm horrified,' the Florida resident says.
Deanna first recounted the incident on TikTok on Aug. 1. However, she claims she needed to make it 'friends only' because of the "belittling" comments of some other uses. The comments have since been deleted and/or removed.A representative for Disney World did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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Other passengers on the boat shared similar stories of their experience. Tami Hackett of Houston, Texas, who was visiting the park with her daughter, her husband and their three kids, told local outlet Fox 35 that her family was injured on board too.
'Suddenly we crashed into something and we all went flying forward, falling' she recalled. 'The stroller landed on its back causing the girls to hit their heads. A lot of people screaming and really hurt bad…Not only was there no announcement on what to do when injured, they just had us get off the boat.'
Hackett told the outlet an EMT looked over her granddaughters and all were cleared.
Read the original article on People
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