Fisherman involved in Sydney boat crash

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15:00 AEST Thu May 1 2008
By ninemsn staff and AAP


Sydney fishing identity Peter Evans was at the helm of the fishing trawler involved in this morning’s fatal boating collision in Sydney Harbour, ninemsn has learned.

Mr Evans is well known at the Sydney Fish Markets with almost 20 years in the industry.

"He is a very experienced fisherman. I also now know he was heading out of the harbour when the accident happened," Grahame Turk from Sydney Fish Markets told ninemsn.

"And I believe some fishermen from another trawler — the Maio1 — helped rescue the group from the runabout," he said.

Earlier, Mr Turk told ninemsn he was not surprised the accident had happened.

"I often hear the fisherman complaining about pleasure boats on the harbour with little or no lighting in the middle of the night."

"There needs to be a crackdown — I have heard stories of boats just having a flash light — that is just plain dangerous," he said.

Four women and one man — all aged in their late teens or early 20s — died when Mr Evans' lobster trawler collided with a small-half cabin cruiser just before 3.00am (AEST).

The crash happened about 150m off Bradley's Point, close to Taronga Zoo.

All five of those killed were on board the cruiser, which was carrying 14 people. Nine others were injured, three critically.

The cruiser is owned by Sydney Ship Repair and Engineering based on Goat Island and was on an "unauthorised" trip when the crash happened.

The company's managing director, John McPherson, said the boat was an ex-navy dive boat and was only designed to hold eight people.

It would not be safe with 14 aboard, he said.

The boat was taken from its berthing at a private marina off Nicholson Street in Balmain some time after 5pm last night, he said.

The keys were kept in a "secret spot on board", Mr McPherson said.

"I have no idea who was on the boat," he said.

It's been reported a man with close links to the company was on board the boat at the time of the accident and is being questioned by police in hospital.

The bodies of those killed remained on the cruiser as it was towed to police Marine Area Command at Balmain for forensic examination after the accident, before being removed late this morning and taken to Glebe Morgue. Three of the nine people injured remain in Royal North Shore Hospital.

A doctor who treated the survivors said they suffered "significant amounts of shock" as they realised the scale of the tragedy.

The shock felt by survivors "seemed to escalate as the morning progressed", Royal North Shore Hospital emergency registrar Andrew Rochford said.

"Obviously as we treated their injuries I think they became a little bit more aware of just how serious the situation was," he told National Nine News.

"The emotional and psychological side of their trauma became more and more evident".



Survivors plucked from the water

Passing vessels raised the alarm when the two boats collided and helped fish the injured out of the water in the darkness.

"To the best of our knowledge all persons were plucked from the harbour in a very short period of time after the accident," Acting police inspector Tony Bear said.

The Ambulance Service described the crash scene as "challenging", with the recovery of the multiple injured made extremely difficult in the darkness.

Ten paramedic crews were sent to the scene, with an ambulance helicopter winching a doctor and intensive care paramedic to the wharf to assist with one critically injured patient.

The injuries suffered by the nine injured patients include critical head injury, spinal injury and cuts and bruises.

The stern of the smaller boat appeared to have been seriously damaged, while the other vessel appeared to escape relatively unscathed, reports from the scene said.

National Nine News reported that the fishing trawler may not have known that it had struck the small work boat.

Water police pulled the trawler up as it approached North Head, Nine said.



'Chaotic scenes' at wharf

NSW Ambulance Sydney north district inspector Stephanie Radnidge said it was initially unclear where on the harbour the accident had occurred.

"There were a number of (triple 0) calls which led us to believe there were a number of persons injured on the harbour, but at that point in time it was unclear to exactly how many were injured, and exactly where it was initially," she told Fairfax Radio Network.

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Boat crash victim identities emerge
18:23 AEST Thu May 1 2008


At least two young bartenders and an American citizen are believed to be among five people killed in a collision between two boats on Sydney Harbour.

Staff from the Unity Hall Hotel in Balmain said police were at the pub seeking more information about one of their colleagues, a woman they named only as Stacey.

"They wouldn't confirm (she was dead) but they wanted to know if Stacey worked here," said a hotel staff member who wished to be known only as Carrie.

"They said she was possibly one of the ones that was killed on the boat."

Stacey, who was aged in her early 20s and hailed from the Wollongong area, had worked at the Unity on and off for the past few years.

Her most recent stint, which began nine months ago, involved night shifts.

"She's fun-loving, easy-going and straight to the point," Carrie said.

Staff at the Clock Hotel in Sydney's Surry Hills, were reeling after learning one of their bartenders had also been involved in the crash.

A staff member said the hotel's licensee, Michael Hoyle, had told her a 19-year-old man, named only as Alex, had died in the collision.

Further information was being sought from Mr Hoyle.

The United States Consulate in Sydney said an American citizen was also caught up in the harbour tragedy.

A consulate spokeswoman declined to release the name, age and gender of the boat passenger.

However, she said the American was among the dead.

Details of the other two people who died are not known, but it has been reported the boat trip followed a celebration marking a change in ownership of Balmain's Commercial Hotel.

Four women and one man, all aged in their late teens and early 20s, were killed when a 23-foot runabout and a fishing boat collided near Bradleys Head about 2.45am (AEST).

Nine others on the runabout - an 18-year-old woman and eight men aged in their 20s and 30s - were injured.

Doctors believe the death toll could rise and say a critically injured 30-year-old man is unlikely to survive.

Royal North Shore Hospital's head of intensive care Dr Ray Raper said the 30-year-old man had suffered a "very, very severe brain injury" and would need a miracle to pull through.

"It's such a severe injury that he may well not survive," Dr Raper told reporters.

Asked if it was possible that the man would die overnight, Dr Raper said: "Yes.

"Surgery was made difficult by the complexity of his brain injuries," he said.

The man was now on a ventilator after extensive surgery and was "in this sense on life support", he said.

"Miracles can happen, and that's the sort of realm that we're talking about," Dr Raper said.

Dr Raper said the 30-year-old man's family was at the hospital and staff would work around the clock to try and save his life.

Meanwhile, a 31-year-old man with spinal injuries had not undergone surgery but was being monitored for cardiovascular complications.

An 18-year-old woman with spinal injuries has been moved to a ward where she is in a stable condition and expected to be interviewed by police.

Six men aged 19, 21, 22, 24, 30 and 31 with minor injuries had been discharged.

The skipper of the lobster boat involved in a fatal collision says he is "devastated and still badly shaken" by the tragedy.

"I am devastated and still badly shaken by the events this morning," Peter Evans said in a statement.

"Both myself and my crew want to express our grief to all the people affected by this tragedy.

"The loss of five young lives is a profoundly sad event and my thoughts are with the families of those whose lives were lost and those who were injured."

Mr Evans said he was working with police and would not comment any further.

"I am fully cooperating with the police in their investigation and cannot make further comment at this stage," he said

"I won't be making any further statements and would ask journalists to respect the emotional trauma of those people affected."

Meanwhile, a witness says passengers aboard the runabout involved in the collision ignored warnings the boat was overloaded, a witness says.

Andre Ogle, from Russell Lea in Sydney's inner west, says he was fishing at Balmain's Darling Street wharf early Thursday when the vessel docked and picked up passengers.

Mr Ogle said the skipper of the runabout introduced himself some time between 1am and 1.30am (AEST) and they chatted briefly.

"He was contracting over at Goat Island and he was going to be heading home in three weeks to work on a mate's fishing trawler."

Mr Ogle said he was concerned about the number of passengers on the boat, which was only licensed to carry eight, but the passengers were unfazed.

"It was an overloaded boat that could easily get into trouble," he said.

"Everyone on the wharf was concerned, we all commented again and again."

Asked what warnings they gave the passengers, he said: "Warnings in the sense of, 'that's too many people for that boat, how's that boat going to stay up in the water', things to that effect."

Mr Ogle said the people on the boat, who were in a "great mood", responded by saying: "We'll be right".

Mr Ogle said the skipper gave his name as Matt and said he was from Tweed Heads and was due to return home soon.

He was clearly experienced in handling boats.

"He was a friendly bloke and he was contracting over at Goat Island and he was going to be heading home in three weeks," Mr Ogle said.

"This guy seemed to have access to the boat.

"He didn't mention anything about how he got the boat."

Sydney Ship Repair and Engineering, which operates out of Goat Island and owns the vessel, said the boat had been taken without permission, possibly for a "joy ride".

Mr Ogle saw alcohol being loaded into the boat before the group left the wharf.

"They had a closed case of beer and they offered us some beer," he said.

"They were going out for a party, heading out to Watson's Bay and they were all in a great mood."

Sydney police say speed and alcohol will be two of the factors they will investigate following the collision.

"Part of the investigation will no doubt be looking at the speed aspect and also other issues in relation to who was driving this thing at the time, the degree of sobriety or any other factor," Special Services Group Assistant Commissioner Peter Parsons told Macquarie Radio.

"There's a lot of questions unanswered, but my people are onto it very intensely at the moment.

"There are reports that a boat with a couple of fishermen in the near vicinity went to the scene almost immediately and one went into the water to save some people.

"We're still trying to confirm that."

Marine Area Command Inspector Glenn Finniss said the runabout was carrying 14 people, almost twice the number it was rated for, on a social outing.

Insp Finniss said it was too early to comment on whether the runabout's navigation lights were on or off, or whether anyone was wearing life jackets.

Both vessels were towed to Marine Area Command at Balmain for forensic examination.

Mr Parsons said given the number of deaths, many would think the runabout should have suffered more damage than it did.

"You've got five people deceased, surely it should have been cut in half or something of that degree," he said.

Mr Parsons also appealed for witnesses to the crash to come forward, particularly two "heroes" who helped rescue people shortly after the crash.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma said police patrols of the harbour had been stepped up, and there were also speed restrictions and conditions on boat licences and lighting.

"If we need to do more, to take further measures, then we will," he added.

The collision has left boat operators at Sydney Fish Market reeling.