Regina Brinson heard a crack before the metal walkway gave way beneath her feet, plunging her into the water beneath the state-operated ferry dock on Georgia's Sapelo Island. As strong currents swept her and others who fell away from shore, she called to her 79-year-old uncle: “Grab my hand!”
Isaiah Thomas tried grasping his niece's hand. But he also clutched her shirt, dragging her head below the water's surface. Three days after the weekend tragedy, Brinson sobbed loudly Tuesday as she recalled her struggle to survive and what happened next.
