Georgia CommonsSenate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SR 343: Sapelo Island; lives lost during the Marsh Landing Dock gangway collapse; honor
Last action March 6, 2025 · Senate Read and Referred
A Georgia Senate resolution honors seven people who died when a gangway collapsed at the Marsh Landing Dock on Sapelo Island during a 2024 Cultural Day event.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
On October 19, 2024, a gangway at the Marsh Landing Dock on Sapelo Island collapsed during the Hogg Hummock community's annual Cultural Day event, sending at least 20 people into the water. Seven people died: Jacqueline Crews Carter, Cynthia Gibbs, Charles L. Houston, William Johnson Jr., Carlotta McIntosh, Isaiah Thomas, and Queen Welch. This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally states that the Senate honors the lives lost and extends condolences to their families and the Hogg Hummock community, a Gullah-Geechee community. It also directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and press.
What the bill does
- Formally honors the seven individuals who died in the October 19, 2024 gangway collapse at Marsh Landing Dock on Sapelo Island.
- Extends the Senate's condolences to the families and individuals affected by the collapse.
- Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare copies of the resolution for distribution to the public and press.
- Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory change; it is a symbolic statement of remembrance.
Who it affects
The families of the seven people who died, the Hogg Hummock community on Sapelo Island, a Gullah-Geechee community, and members of the Georgia Senate who are recording this statement of condolence and remembrance.
Why it matters
While the resolution carries no legal or regulatory effect, it publicly records the Senate's acknowledgment of the tragedy and the community's loss, and signals lawmakers' awareness of the Hogg Hummock community's call for changes to protect people at the site in the future.
Key provisions
- The preamble ('WHEREAS' clauses) describes the October 19, 2024 gangway collapse and names the seven people who died.
- The resolved clause states the Senate honors the lives lost and offers condolences to affected families and individuals.
- A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and the press.
From the bill
“on October 19, 2024, the community's annual Cultural Day event turned to sorrow when the gangway at the Marsh Landing Dock collapsed, sending at least 20 individuals into the water”
“the members of this body honor the lives lost during the Marsh Landing Dock gangway collapse on Sapelo Island and extend their deepest condolences to the families and individuals affected by this heartbreaking event”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Donzella James (D, SD-28)
- Harold Jones II (D, SD-22)
- Sally Harrell (D, SD-40)
- Kenya Wicks (D, SD-34)
- Gail Davenport (D, SD-17)
- Tonya Anderson (D, SD-43)
- Michael 'Doc' Rhett (D, SD-33)
- Kim Jackson (D, SD-41)
- Jason Esteves (D, SD-35)
- Nan Orrock (D, SD-36)
- Derek Mallow (D, SD-2)
- Sonya Halpern (D, SD-39)
- Randal Mangham (D, SD-55)
- Sheikh Rahman (D, SD-5)
- Nabilah Parkes (D, SD-7)
- Elena Parent (D, SD-44)
Topics
- Sapelo Island
- Hogg Hummock
- Gullah-Geechee community
- public safety
- memorial resolution