Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is now representing the families of three Jacksonville people who died in a dock collapse Saturday in Sapelo Island, Georgia.

Hundreds of people from Georgia, the Carolinas and Florida were there for a cultural celebration of the Gullah Geechee community.

About 20 people fell into the water when a gangway collapsed while the crowd waited for a ferry to the island, about 70 miles south of Savannah. 

Four of the seven who died were from Jacksonville: Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75; Cynthia Gibbs, 74; Carlotta McIntosh, 93; and Isaiah Thomas, 79. Crump did not say which of the families he is representing.

Also killed were Charles Houston, 77, of Darien, Georgia; Queen Welch, 76, of Atlanta; and William Johnson Jr., 73, also of Atlanta.

Calling them the “Sapelo Seven,” Crump spoke Tuesday at a church in Jacksonville and called for accountability.

“They believe that they were not given the resources and the infrastructure, and they do want the civil rights department to look into this as well,” Crump said. “We want an investigation at every level.” 

Crump presented witnesses who talked about what happened. Regina Brinson of Jacksonville was midway across the aluminum gangway alongside her uncle, Thomas, when she heard a click. 

“And I looked up and I said, ‘Oh my god, what is happening here’ All of us ended up in the water,” she said.

Remembering the victims

Jacksonville City Councilman Rahman Johnson issued a heartfelt statement Monday about the collapse.

“I had the privilege of knowing both Mrs. Carlotta McIntosh and Mrs. Cynthia Gibbs personally,” Johnson said. “They were strong, resilient women who embodied the very spirit of Jacksonville.

“Mrs. McIntosh, with her 93 years of wisdom, and Mrs. Gibbs, with her unwavering commitment to our community, were pillars of strength and compassion. Their loss leaves an immeasurable void not only in my heart but in the lives of those who had the honor of knowing them.”

Johnson said the dock collapse “has shaken us to the core, as it took the lives of people who were more than just names on a list — they were beloved members of our community.”

News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner, reported that McIntosh was a retired special education teacher. Her granddaughter described her as “full of life” and “loved by many.”

“She was the matriarch of our family and will truly be missed,” granddaughter Ebony Davis said.

Impact Church identified Gibbs as one of its longtime members.

“Cynthia was always ready to lend a helping hand, quick with a funny quip, full of energy, and so consistent that we maintained a staff workspace for her in our ministry offices,” the church said in a statement to News4Jax.

Dock investigation

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is investigating the cause of the collapse. Commissioner Walter Rabon called it a structural failure. The gangway was installed in 2021.

The gangway was most recently inspected in December by Crescent Equipment Co., a marine equipment business based about 25 miles inland, the New York Times reported.

The company, which declined to comment Monday, inspected both sides of the gangway and found “no areas of concern,” according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Georiga Public Broadcasting reported that a resident of Sapelo Island warned the state last summer that the gangway was in poor condition.

The McIntosh County coroner, Melvin Amerson, said he thought that most of the fatalities were from drowning, but he was waiting for the results of autopsies to confirm causes of death, the Times reported.

The number of people on the dock at the time of the collapse was not clear.