New Jersey Commuter Ferry Hits Pier, 7 Injured

A commuter ferry crossing the Hudson River from Manhattan with two dozen passengers aboard crashed into a pier in New Jersey, on Friday, injuring seven people aboard, four of whom were taken to a hospital, but none was badly hurt, officials said.

The cause of the late-afternoon mishap at the ferry landing along the Jersey City waterfront was under investigation, a New York Police Department spokesman said.

The New York Waterway ferry was arriving in Jersey City after crossing the river from lower Manhattan, near the World Financial Center, when the vessel made a "hard landing" at J. Owen Grundy Park Pier, waterway spokesman Pat Smith said.

The ferry was carrying 24 passengers and three crew members at the time, according to Smith.

Seven people aboard the vessel were injured, with four of them - two passengers and two crew members - taken by ambulance to the Jersey City Medical Center, hospital emergency medical director Robert Luckritz said.

He said all the injuries were minor and were consistent with falls. The four patients brought to the hospital were expected to be released by the end of the evening, Luckritz said.

U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Ali Flockerzi said all three crew members would be tested for drug and alcohol consumption as part of the investigation.

She said the ferry and pier both sustained minor damage in the accident.