Tugboat crash causes $250k of damage in Gig Harbor

GIG HARBOR, WA – A tugboat collided with three homes and caused an estimated $250,000 in property damage on Monday morning after its pilot allegedly fell asleep at the helm, Q13 Fox reports.

No one appears to have been injured.

The United States Coast Guard says that while the pilot may have been asleep when the incident began, that individual’s quick action and decades of experience helped them avert more serious property damage and even loss of life.

Four people were on board the vessel—which is owned by the Island Tug & Barge Company of Seattle— at the time of the collision. It was otherwise empty.

The Coast Guard designated the accident as a “Serious Marine Incident,” which will trigger an investigation.

[cta]