--- title: SR 343. Sapelo Island; lives lost during the Marsh Landing Dock gangway collapse; honor collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr343 cite_as: SR 343, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr343 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr343.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr343/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71127 date: 2025-03-06 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr342.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr344.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr343.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 343 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-04 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Donzella James - Harold Jones - Sally Harrell - Kenya Wicks - Gail Davenport - Tonya Anderson - Michael Rhett - Kim Jackson - Jason Esteves - Nan Orrock - Derek Mallow - Sonya Halpern - Randal Mangham - Sheikh Rahman - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Elena Parent text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR343/2025 upstream_id: 1991447 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Sapelo Island - Hogg Hummock - Gullah-Geechee heritage - dock collapse memorial --- # SR 343. Sapelo Island; lives lost during the Marsh Landing Dock gangway collapse; honor ## Text Senate Resolution 343 By: Senators James of the 28th, Jones II of the 22nd, Harrell of the 40th, Wicks of the 34th, Davenport of the 17th and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the lives lost during the Marsh Landing Dock gangway collapse on Sapelo Island; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the people of Hogg Hummock represent a community of generations bound by a shared history, culture, and the enduring legacy of being one of the last Gullah-Geechee communities in the State of Georgia; and WHEREAS, 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; and WHEREAS, this devastating event resulted in the tragic loss of Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75, of Jacksonville, Florida; Cynthia Gibbs, 74, of Jacksonville, Florida; Charles L. Houston, 77, of Darien, Georgia; William Johnson Jr., 73, of Atlanta, Georgia; Carlotta McIntosh, 93, of Jacksonville, Florida; Isaiah Thomas, 79, of Jacksonville, Florida; and Queen Welch, 76, of Atlanta, Georgia; and WHEREAS, the loss of these beloved individuals has left an immeasurable void in their families and the greater community, and their memory will forever be honored by those who knew and cherished them; and WHEREAS, the community of Hogg Hummock, standing united in resilience and strength, remains committed to remembering the lives lost while advocating for lasting change to protect future generations. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that 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. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Senate resolution honors seven people who died when a dock gangway collapsed during a Cultural Day event on Sapelo Island's Hogg Hummock community in October 2024. ### Plain-language summary This resolution responds to the collapse of the gangway at the Marsh Landing Dock on Sapelo Island on October 19, 2024, during the Hogg Hummock community's annual Cultural Day event, which sent at least 20 people into the water. Seven people died in the collapse. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally states that the Georgia Senate honors the lives lost, names each of the seven victims, and extends condolences to their families and the Hogg Hummock community, described as one of the last Gullah-Geechee communities in Georgia. It also directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and the press. ### What it does - Formally states that the Senate honors the seven people who died in the October 19, 2024 gangway collapse at Marsh Landing Dock on Sapelo Island. - Names each of the seven victims individually along with their ages and hometowns. - 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. ### Who it affects The families of the seven people who died, the Hogg Hummock community on Sapelo Island, and the Secretary of the Senate, who is directed to distribute copies of the resolution. ### Why it matters The resolution creates no new law or funding; its effect is symbolic. It gives official Senate recognition to the deaths at Marsh Landing Dock and puts the community's loss and the victims' names into the permanent legislative record. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe Hogg Hummock as one of Georgia's last Gullah-Geechee communities and recount the October 19, 2024 gangway collapse during the Cultural Day event. - The resolution names the seven victims: Jacqueline Crews Carter, Cynthia Gibbs, Charles L. Houston, William Johnson Jr., Carlotta McIntosh, Isaiah Thomas, and Queen Welch. - The resolving clause has the Senate honor the victims and extend 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. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-04) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-03-06) - Sponsors: Donzella James, Harold Jones, Sally Harrell, Kenya Wicks, Gail Davenport, Tonya Anderson, Michael Rhett, Kim Jackson, Jason Esteves, Nan Orrock, Derek Mallow, Sonya Halpern, Randal Mangham, Sheikh Rahman, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Elena Parent - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71127 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr343.md?full=1