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An Auckland boatie has pleaded guilty to charges of dangerously operating a vessel over a crash that sank a Russell ferry and critically injured its skipper.
The historic ferry Waitere sank shortly after the collision with a high-powered sports fishing boat near Russell inApril last year.
The 77-year-old skipper of the ferry suffered life-threatening head and spinal injuries, and at least one passenger was thrown into the water.
Bill Elliott, here with two of his grandchildren, suffered severe head and spinal injuries when his ferry and the fishing boat collided last year.
The charges are laid under the collision prevention rules of the Maritime Transport Act 1994 and carry a maximum penalty of 12 months’ jail or a $10,000 fine.
The prosecutor for Maritime New Zealand indicated to Judge Simon Lance the Crown entity would only be seeking the fine as a penalty.
The collision pierced the port side of the Waitere, demolished the wheelhouse where the skipper was sitting, and scattered fragments of timber the length of the ferry.
Passengers on the stricken Waitere Ferry also known as the 'Blue Ferry' wait to be rescued after the collision. Photo / Elliot Bexon
Witnesses said a motorboat crashed into the side of the Paihia-Russell ferry, causing major damage to the latter’s port side. A passenger on the ferry involved in the collision described it as a “massive launch” coming full throttle straight towards the side of ferry before it crashed.
Those on board the ferry said it was remarkable no one else was injured, given the force of the impact and the fact the Waitere was crowded with school holiday visitors at the time.
Witnesses said a motorboat crashed into the side of the ferry, causing major damage to the latter’s port side. Photo / Elliot Bexon
The skipper Bill Elliot and his wife, Lois Elliot, had run the business since 1999. Lois told Checkpoint her husband had never been involved in a boating accident before.
