One person died and several others were injured Sunday night when a boat crashed into a ferry off Clearwater's Memorial Causeway bridge and fled the scene, police said.
The Clearwater Police Department posted on X that the crash had been declared “a mass casualty incident” by the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department.
The deceased and injured were among 45 people aboard the Clearwater Ferry, a service operated by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.
The ferry came to rest on a sandbar just south of the Memorial Causeway, and all patients and passengers were removed.
Police did not immediately provide any information about the boat that fled the scene.
One person has died from injuries in tonight’s boat crash. @MyFWC will be handing the crash investigation. https://t.co/uIJBqbiAHN
— Clearwater Police Department (@myclearwaterPD) April 28, 2025
Authorities did not immediately provide the number of those who were hurt.
“All local hospitals have been notified. Multiple trauma alerts have been called with helicopters transporting two of the more seriously injured," the post said.
The collision was reported to authorities at 8:43 p.m.
Videos on social media showed several first responders rushing to the scene with lights flashing.
Police cautioned drivers to avoid Memorial Causeway.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and U.S. Coasts Guard will investigate the crash, according to the police department.
