It also led to port officials being instructed to be on “super alert,” according to Transport Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin who referred to the measures that were taken in the aftermath of another accident at Potter’s Cay two years ago in which a family of three was killed when their vehicle careened off the dock.
“Those recommendations included improving the lighting at Potter’s Cay, defining the parameter using miniature barricades with reflectors because previously it had never been defined,” Minister Hanna-Martin said.
“Additionally fencing was put up with gates that could be locked to control access to that area after a certain time. They also recommended that traffic lines be put in place to control the flow of traffic and to avoid confusion as to which direction a vehicle should go in,” she added.
Last Friday, the teenaged driver of a Suzuki jeep apparently lost control and drove over the pier at the eastern end of the dock. The driver and her three young relatives were trapped inside. A few men who were on the scene at the time rescued them, according to authorities.
Over the years, there have been a number of accidents in which vehicles have gone overboard, at least two of them fatal. Additionally, police have also plucked bodies out of the waters just off the dock.
Minister Hanna-Martin indicated that her ministry reviewed the recommendations of the engineers from the Ministry of Works, and then implemented them utilizing the input gleaned from the mail boat sector.
The operators were concerned about the impact on their operations should permanent, concrete structures that would serve as barriers, be erected. They said it would obstruct the loading of freight onto their vessels.
For that reason removable barriers were installed, the minister explained, which should always been replaced.
Minister Hanna-Martin acknowledged that the latest accident raises a whole new set of questions, since it occurred at mid-day while the other fatal incident happened on a rainy night.
Already she conceded that there is a need to better integrate the needs of the mail boat operation and the safety of the public.
“It may mean impeding access after certain hours, or limiting access,” she said. “It may mean changing the system of offloading to one that delivers to the vessel.
“In the interim, I have instructed the port personnel to be on super alert because it is a holiday weekend. Particularly on Sunday, there will be a whole lot of boats coming back from excursions. We have also hired a security firm as an interim measure, particularly at night, to limit access of people coming onto the docks.
By: Perez Clarke, The Bahama Journal
