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Coast Guard Investigates Freighter Collision

Elvin Jones' cap reads "Maui", but that destination is about the furthest thing from his mind right now. He's staring at the wreckage of his boat, the "Beverly 2", which floats just below the surface of the Cuyahoga River, suspended for the moment by inflatable floaters, after being crushed by the freighter "Cuyahoga" on Sunday afternoon.

JONES: I'm just glad no one got injured. All the stuff that's there is replaceable.

Kurt Van Hauter heads the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Unit, and he says The Cuyahoga was hauling a shipment of gravel up the river past the dock of Shooters restaurant where Jones' boat was docked.

VAN HAUTER: She came around and, apparently, couldn't make the corner and for whatever reason pinned the boat up against the pier. It actually crushed the lower hull in and kind of popped the upper deck off and then the boat sank within minutes.

Another boat was also struck, but not as badly damaged. Elvin Jones says the "Beverly 2" was named after his daughter. And now, he's starting to think about the Beverly 3.

David C. Barnett was a senior arts & culture reporter for Ideastream Public Media. He retired in October 2022.