More Settlements in 2013 New York Commuter Ferry Accident

More settlements have been reached in lawsuits stemming from last year’s crash of a commuter ferry in lower Manhattan.

More than 80 people were injured, including one seriously.

Notices of four settlements were filed in federal court in Newark last week. They range from $25,000 to a passenger who suffered soft tissue injuries to $55,000 for another passenger who suffered a knee injury that required surgery. Seastreak, the owner of the ferry, has paid out more than $1 million in personal injury claims.

The boat departed from Atlantic Highlands, N.J., with 326 passengers and five crew members. It crashed into a pier in New York City, sending people tumbling down stairs and into walls. The ferry captain told investigators he couldn’t control the boat’s engines right before the crash.

In its preliminary report in January, the National Transportation Safety Board noted that the vessel’s engines were replaced in early 2012 and passed a Coast Guard inspection several months later. The NTSB is scheduled to discuss the accident and investigation at a board meeting next Tuesday in Washington, D.C.