SAPELO ISLAND, Ga. (WSAV) — Were it not for bystanders and law enforcement, more lives would have been lost in the Sapelo Island gangway collapse at the Marsh Landing Dock on Saturday, according to officials.
Adeeb Labaran, his wife, Sabrina, and their kids had just stepped on the dock when it happened. What was a lovely day of celebration for the Gullah Geechee culture, turned into a nightmare.
"I heard a loud sound like crack... crack, and then I heard people screaming. As I turned around, people were hitting the water," Adeeb said.
About 20 people, coming from the festival, plunged into the water after the collapse.
"Imagine a carnival game… a dunk tank. That’s exactly what happened. They just dropped into the water," Sabrina said.
Adeeb said once he made sure his family was safe, he sprang into action, trying to save whomever he could.
"I got down to lay down on the dock, and I saw a baby," Adeeb said. "I was trying to reach for the baby. But the baby, of course... people were scrambling. So, the baby kind of floated away, I couldn't do anything about that. So, I saw this older lady. I just held her hand, kept her afloat."
The current was so strong, Adeeb was worried he was pulling the lady's shoulder out of the socket. Seven people didn't make it, an unknown number of people were injured, and many are traumatized.
"There was a young lady, Nia, if that’s her name… she handed us her wallet, because she said nobody knew she was out there, and she wanted to be identified," Sabrina said.
She called the scene heart wrenching.
"Just to see the people that didn't make it that were laying on the shore, that was very difficult," Sabrina said.
"I'm just praying for the people, because it was traumatic, and I know people will probably have PTSD," Adeeb said.