18 Months For 11 Deaths: Justice?
January 10th, 2006
Editorials in both the New York Post and the Daily News reacted to the 18-month prison sentence given to Richard Smith, who was asleep at the wheel of the Andrew J. Barberi ferry when it crashed into a Staten Island pier, killing 11 people. Both believe the sentence was better than that recommended in a report that blamed higher-ups. “Sure, the city bears significant blame in the disaster: For starters, some of the ferry system’s managers appear to have been less than optimally qualified,” says the
NY Post. “Still, it was Smith who jeopardized the lives of his 1,500 passengers when he took the wheel in an impaired state.”
Both say that 18 months for 11 deaths is light. But the Daily News is far harsher, calling the sentence “an abomination.”
By Jonathan Mandell on January 10, 2006, 6:01 amIn category: Crime & Safety, Gotham City, Transportation | 1 Comment »



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January 11th, 2006 at 10:02 am
The editorials of both the New York Post and the Daily News are off target.
Everyone knows this is a tragedy and nothing can bring back the people that were killed when the 3,000 ton ferry boat slammed into a pier jutting off the coast of Staten Island 2 years ago.
The question we should be asking is why would anyone trust the DOT an organization that can’t put up street signs properly to run the nations second largest ferry fleet?
This would lead to an obvious suggestion that D.O.T. be completely re-organized and re-prioritized and that a seperateagencies be formed to operate the city’s ferry fleet with a nautical DNA.
This was suggested in an oped that I wrote about the indcident the entire text of it can be read at.
http://citystreets.org/oped102303-1.html
Harris Silver | Founder | Citystreets