AP led the way on coverage of the collapse of a gangway at the dock on Sapelo Island, Ga., that resulted in the deaths of seven people and several other people who were injured, including exclusive user-generated content video of the heartbreaking, chaotic scene in the minutes following the collapse.
It was late in the day Oct. 19, when word began to spread online that there at been an accident at the dock on Sapelo Island, home to a tiny, close-knit, historic community of descendants of African slaves several miles off the Georgia coast. Details were sparse, with speculation swirling there had been deaths and injuries.
Savannah correspondent Russ Bynum started working his sources, built over years of covering Gullah-Geechee community and the state Department of Natural Resources, which manage the island. He soon was the first to confirm with the department that at least seven people had died after a gangway collapsed with people on it waiting to board a ferry. Island residents, family members and tourists had gathered for Cultural Day, an annual fall event spotlighting the island community.
Over the next two days, Bynum continued to work his sources, keeping The AP significantly ahead. He spoke with island residents, who can be reluctant to engage with people outside their community. Sunday BNS Emily Wagster Pettus scored a key interview with a senior mate aboard a ferry that arrived shortly after the collapse.
Bynum scored several heartbreaking, exclusive UGC video clips showing the chaos, screams and horror as people clung to the gangway while a powerful current pulled others away. Bynum also conducted a video interview with the woman who shot the footage.
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