Captain who crashed ferry in West Seattle had long history of work troubles, records show

The ferry captain found responsible for the multi-million-dollar crash of the July 2022 MV Ferry Cathlamet had a history of workplace problems at Washington State Ferries (WSF), the KING 5 Investigators have found.

State records show in the months and years leading up to the crash, co-workers and ferry managers expressed concerns about Capt. Dave Cole’s ability to safely pilot ferries across Puget Sound.

Cole was formally reprimanded in 2018, 2020 and 2021 for violations such as sleeping through sailings, falsifying records, and lying to his superiors.

Despite concerns and codes of conduct violations, Cole was allowed to be at the helm of the Cathlamet when it crashed during an attempted landing at the West Seattle dock in July 2022. The accident endangered the passengers and crew of the Cathlamet as well as those at the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal.

READ MORE: https://www.king5.com/article/news/in...