BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) "I was very shocked," Michelle Roman, Mayor of Lockport said on WBEN Tuesday morning.
She was reacting to the death of a man after a Lockport Cave tour boat capsized Monday, throwing 29 people into the water at the end of their tour, in a cave next to the Erie Canal.
"It's been in operation since the mid 1970's and there have been no incidents in all that time, in over 45 years," she said.
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As sad as it was, Roman was heartened by the response from first responders. "It always amazes me how quickly everybody can get together and all of the support we get from our own people who are always there quickly and mutual aid too, from volunteers."
Where does the investigation go from here?
"I've been in communication with the governor's office and they have sent investigators from the state marine department, people who investigate boating accidents. They will be taking a look at everything and the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) is arriving. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has already taken an overview of the site."
It's Roman's understanding that each agency will be preparing reports once they are able to take a look at everything, something that will likely take 3 to 4 weeks.
Will the attraction be closed during that time?
"The boat ride portion of the attraction will probably remain closed. I don't know if the entire attraction has to be closed. The boat ride is a small part of the tour. I can't say for sure if the entire operation will be closed," said Roman.
She said she was told the bench seats on the tour boat had cushions that serve as flotation devices. Roman added that if the boat is eventually deemed safe, and returned to operation, that the operator may want to require individual life jackets for every person on the boat.
The owner of the cave tour was on site Monday around the time of the incident. "He was there," noted Roman. "He is the one who made the initial call to police. He also helped to identify where to breach the cave wall to speed up rescue operations.
How concerned is the mayor that this could put a damper on a big Lockport attraction this summer?
"I understand if people have second thoughts, but whenever you do anything, you're taking a chance. You can be injured at anytime doing anything. Life inherently goes with risk. But we try to make sure that everything is as safe as possible."
Roman went on to say that Lockport has a lot of other attractions this summer. "We have the Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises, which is a boat tour run by a separate entity. We have the Flight of Five Lock Tender Tour, which is a walking tour. The Niagara County Historical Society, the Kenan Center Arena, the Palace Theater, bike trails and local parks. There are still lots of things people can do here in Lockport while they determine the future of this particular venue."