Mar 5, 2009 11:26 pm US/Eastern
Deadly Taxi Boat Accident: What Have We Learned?
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
-
-
Tom Pierce was on the Lady D in Baltimore's harbor on March 6, 2004 when he lost his wife and daughter during an accident.
AP
Memories of an accident five years ago still linger in Baltimore.
Vic Carter shares the life-changing story of a man who survived the tragedy that killed his loved ones.
Five years have passed, and the accident that changed their lives appears so vividly in the hearts and souls of those who lived it.
Tom Pierce was on the Lady D water taxi boat in Baltimore's harbor on March 6, 2004.
He was with his wife JoAnn and their daughter Lisa.
"It started to rain. Then a second gust of winds came. I watched a third gust of wind come along, and the boat just instantly flipped upside down," said Pierce. "And I thought, this is the day that the three of us go together."
Pierce realized he needed to go down to get out.
"I got caught in the current that somehow sucked me out of the boat," said Pierce.
Rescuers pulled Pierce and 19 other survivors from the harbor. JoAnn, Lisa and three other passengers were killed.
"Everything that could have possibly been done was done," said Pierce.
While Pierce believes rescuers made a remarkable attempt to save his family and the others, he still questions why the accident happened.
"I don't know why the people on our water taxi didn't get the weather warning ahead of time," said Pierce.
On that day, a fast moving microburst stormed into the bay. Neither the National Weather Service nor the boat captain reacted in time.
"If anything, that would have been the thing I was most upset with," said Pierce.
Because of the Lady D accident, more people are operating under tougher Coast Guard regulations, which are designed to save lives.
"The Coast Guard's primary focus is on ensuring the safety of the passengers who do go on those vessels," said Commander Charlie Rawson, U.S. Coast Guard.
So what's changed in five years?
The National Weather Service has improved weather radar technology. Today forecasters can access live radar from six sites at a time instead of the one site they used on March 6, 2004.
The Coast Guard now recommends that fewer people be allowed on boats to compensate for heavier Americans, and passenger vessels should be tested regularly for stability instead of only upon launch.
While the Coast Guard says these changes should make passengers safer, the recommendations are only voluntary, not yet mandatory.
As for Pierce, his life has dramatically.
"My late wife used to say I was a man of few words. That changed almost immediately," said Pierce.
After the accident, Pierce poured his heart into a book about love and loss. He says it's important that he remember this anniversary.
"It's more a celebration than a sadness," said Pierce. "It's something that happened. You don't want to forget it."
The Coast Guard does not yet have a specific time frame for implementing the new regulations, saying it's better to get it done right than to get it done quickly.
The operator of the Lady D is no longer in business and has no connection to the Baltimore water taxi operating today, which has never had an accident.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
