GEORGIA – Sunday marked one year since a deadly gangway collapse in Sapelo Island, Georgia.
The collapse killed 7 people, now known as the “Sapelo 7.″
The victims were identified as:
- Isaiah Thomas, 79, from Jacksonville
- Carlotta Mcintosh, 93, from Jacksonville
- Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75, from Jacksonville
- Cynthia Alynn Gibbs, 74, from Jacksonville
- Charles League Houston, 77, from Darien, Ga.
- Queen Welch, 76, Atlanta
- William Lee Johnson Jr., 73, from the Atlanta area
Hundreds were gathered at Sapelo Island for a fall celebration on Oct. 19, 2024.
First responders said as many as 40 people were on the dock gangway when it collapsed — sending at least 20 people tumbling into the water.
Community members, victims’ families and survivors gathered Saturday morning to mark one year since the deadly gangway collapse.
The Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society (SICARS) organized the ceremony to remember those impacted by the incident.
“We are honoring, those whose lives were lost, those that were injured and hurt, all that responded, and all that were impacted. So to remember, their memories, to honor them, to really take steps towards healing, towards standing together,” Josiah Watts with SICARS said.
The memorial ceremony included several speakers. Flowers and wreaths were placed for each of the victims, and those in attendance lit candles in memory of the victims.
“I think it’s a wonderful thing and it’s a part of our release of the stress that we all feel from it,” Ronald Johnson, President of SICARS, said. “Many of us were on the dock that day. Many Sapelo families were impacted and have been impacted over the last year. And I think its a great thing for us to come together and to talk about it and share and have some emotional release together.”
The collapse happened Oct. 19, 2024, as people were boarding a ferry on Sapelo Island during the annual Gullah-Geechee festival.
Johnson was there when the collapse happened.
“Many of us were on the dock that day. Many Sapelo families were impacted and has been impacted over the last year. And I think it’s a great thing for us to come together and talk about it and share, have some emotional relief, together,” Johnson said.
Johnson said there are several memorials at various churches and communities to remember the lives lost on that day. However, he said they plan to add a permanent memorial on Sapelo Island and other places.
“They may be done in different phases, but we are talking about creating a statue as well as, maybe some labeling at the dock because that’s where it happened,” Johnson said.
In June, civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Chadrick Mance announced they had filed a lawsuit on behalf of the victims’ families and survivors. The complaint highlights serious injuries and lasting trauma and alleges negligence by the engineering and construction companies involved.