Disney World guests rushed to hospital after horrific boat crash... as witnesses describe the terrifying scene
According to a witness, the boat was bringing families from the Magic Kingdom to the Transportation and Ticket Center on Wednesday night during a massive storm, when it suddenly 'hit something.'
The Disney guest, named Larry, described the horrific scene in detail to the Daily Mail, claiming that people were 'thrown forward' as 'metal trash cans' came barreling forward onto 'little kids,' resulting in one boy getting pinned under a trash can.
He recounted terrified children screaming and 'people bleeding' as they waited for EMT services to arrive.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Larry explained, 'I was leaving Magic Kingdom on Wednesday, July 30, right when they closed at 11pm.'
He said that as they were waiting for the ferry it started raining 'heavily,' adding, 'It was coming down hard so we were surprised the ferry was running in the dark and pouring rain.'
As they were approaching the Transportation and Ticket Center he said the boat 'hit something all of a sudden.'
'When we hit whatever we hit, everyone was thrown forward and the metal trash cans and recycling bins were thrown forward onto strollers and little kids,' he explained.
'There were little kids screaming and [I] noticed that a boy was pinned under the trash cans so [everyone] quickly lifted them up.'
Footage shared exclusively with the Daily Mail by Larry of the aftermath shows hoards of terrified families huddling on the boat moments after the crash.
Some are seen on the ground with screaming and crying heard in the background.
He said that after the boat pulled into the dock and guests rushed off to safety 'not a word was said from the captains or Disney cast members.'
'There were furious screaming parents and all these employees were doing was saying, "You'll have to take it up with guest services when they open," or, "Call guest services,"' Larry told the Daily Mail.
'Lots of kids were shaken up and holding their parents while crying. There were people bleeding and parents sitting on the floor holding their children waiting for EMTs. It was a very chaotic site.'
Tami Hackett, from Houston, Texas, was also on the ferry when it crashed, along with her daughter, her daughter's husband, and their twin three-year-old daughters.
'Suddenly we crashed into something and we all went flying forward falling,' she told the Daily Mail.
'The stroller landed on its back causing the girls to hit their heads. A lot of people screaming and really hurt bad.'
She added that upon getting off the boat 'there no announcement on what to do if injured.'
'We were concerned the girls had concussions so waited on the dock for direction, none came,' she continued.
'When EMT finally got there I watched as they were just as confused with no direction from staff.'
She said when they finally 'flagged down an EMT' he checked the girls and said they were OK.
'He expressed his disbelief on how the park handled the entire situation and the chaos,' she added.
Several other people who claimed to be on the water vessel when the horrific incident occurred took to Reddit to share their account of what happened.
They told similar stories of being 'thrown all around' and 'getting crushed by a surge of people.'
'The ferry boat from Magic Kingdom to TTC crashed while I was on it,' read the title of the Reddit post.
'Very scary scene. Happened about 11.40pm during a heavy storm,' the user wrote.
'Boat was approaching the TTC dock when the boat came to a sudden and complete stop, throwing every passenger forward.'
'I was on that ferry! It was insane. People thrown forward all around. No warning, just a loud crash and sudden stop approaching the dock,' someone else shared in the comment section. 'I think they hit the cement jetty.'
'It was scary. We were right down the front and could see it heading toward the dock and it wasn't getting any slower,' recounted another person.
'Luckily we were able to brace for impact but then got crushed by a surge of people from behind... Girl by us was quite badly injured.'
'Multiple people taken off on stretchers, many others witnessed lying on the ground waiting for medical evaluation. Dozens of people injured,' read a third comment.
'We were on it and four or five of us were injured,' shared a different person. 'It was complete chaos and the staff had no clue how to handle it. Very disappointed with Disney and how they handled this.'
'I was on that ferry with my daughter and mother on the lower deck. We fell hard and slid,' revealed someone else.
'People were piled up on top of us. My daughter was sleeping in her stroller when it happened and woke up to being thrown across the deck onto the floor! Horrible, horrible experience.'
'It was terrifying! My husband was thrown to the floor, I hit my head, and my elderly mom slammed into a wall and hurt her knee,' read another comment.
'No warning, no communication, stuck in lightning and rain for way too long. Then got zero compassion from staff after finally getting [off]. We are scared to continue our trip. What happened to the "magic," Disney?'
'I was Ubering [at] Disney last night, as I usually do. I had to continuously pull over for police, ambulances and fire trucks, I kept thinking, "Where's the accident?"' shared a different user.
Several other people who claimed to be on the water vessel when the horrific incident occurred took to Reddit to share their account of what happened
'I finally got to TTC, picked up my passengers. They were shaking, the mom had blood dripping down her face, eye, and all over her hands.
'Her little boy was also bleeding. I finally convinced them to let me take them to the hospital.
'She was in shock and refused to let EMTs check them out before leaving. Hopefully everyone has a quick recovery.'
Theme park news site WDW News Today reported that there was a 'mutual aid call at 12.02am corresponding to the address for the TTC ferryboat landing.'
'"Mutual Aid" in this case refers to reciprocal assistance from multiple agencies across jurisdictional boundaries, particularly when the emergency is too big for one agency to handle,' the website added.
The outlet said 19 people were transported to local hospitals, 'with at least eight people having major injuries.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Disney World for comment, but did not hear back.
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