Archive for November 2015
Were the Families of the 33 El Faro Crewmen Offered a Settlement?
Continuing our coverage of the El Faro disaster, TOTE Maritime has made a settlement offer to the families of the 33 El Faro crewmen lost at sea. According to First Coast News, the settlement would provide each of the families with lost wages plus $500,000 each in compensation. While TOTE Maritime is touting this as…
Read MoreHow Did a NJ Dockworker Lose His Hand?
According to NJ.com, a dockworker had his severed in an October accident at the APM Port Elizabeth container terminal. The dockworker, 49, of Paramus, was allegedly attempting to replace a hoist cable on the dock when it became wrapped around his arm and tightened. His hand was then severed from his arm and he was…
Read MoreAmerican Couple Injured in Whale Boat Accident
According to the Chicago Tribune, an Indiana couple was injured when a whale watching boat they were on capsized off the coast of western Canada in October. The newspaper reported that an infectious disease specialist and her husband, the CEO of an investment company, were among the 27 passengers on board the MV Leviathan II…
Read MoreHas the Search for El Faro Data Recorder Been Called Off?
According to National Public Radio, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called off its search for the missing data recorder from the wreckage of the El Faro. The agency said that it used remote operated vehicles with the assistance of the Navy to attempt to find the recorder through the remaining wreckage that has…
Read MoreMissing NJ Barge Worker’s Body Found
According to NJ.com, officials from the U.S. Coast Guard have confirmed that the body of a man recovered near Bayonne is that of a barge worker who fell into the water in Kill Van Kull in October. The worker was performing tasks at the Pier 1 of the International Matex Tank Terminal on October 16…
Read MoreEmployee Loses Legs in Florida Boat Propeller Accident
WTVT-TV reported last week that a Florida worker suffered severe injuries after he fell from a barge in Port Canaveral in the middle of a channel, striking a propeller. The station reported that the accident occurred on November 10, at around 10 p.m., when a man working on a dredge barge fell overboard and struck…
Read MoreHas a Court Imposed an El Faro Lawsuit Deadline?
According to WTLV-TV, a judge in Jacksonville has ordered family members of victims of the El Faro disaster to file lawsuits by December 21 in order to pursue claims. U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger signed the court order recently preventing family members from filing lawsuits outside of the venue and outside of the deadline against…
Read MoreBrain Injury: Man Awarded $21 Million For Cruise Ship Accident
According to KING-TV, a Seattle jury recently awarded an Illinois man $21.5 million after he sued a cruise line over a traumatic brain injury (TBI) accident. KING reported that the accident occurred on a Holland America Line cruise when an automatic sliding door aboard a vessel hit the man. He reportedly was on an eight-month cruise…
Read MoreWhat is Involved in the El Faro Recovery Process?
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been blogging heavily about the El Faro wreck, as it is the worst cargo shipping disaster involving an American-flagged vessel in more than three decades. With this in mind, the Seattle Times recently had a report about the details involved with the El Faro recovery effort that…
Read MoreSearch for El Faro Data Recorder, Bridge Continues
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Navy continued its search last week for pieces of the El Faro cargo ship that went missing during Hurricane Joaquin. Investigators were able to find wreckage of the ship, as a salvage team managed to spot parts of the vessel on the ocean floor at a depth of…
Read MoreNew Jersey Pontoon Accident: What is Christopher’s Law?
NJ.com reports that a bill has been introduced in New Jersey dubbed “Christopher’s Law” that would require pontoon rental businesses to notify customers about the dangers of operating the vessels. According to the website, the law is a tribute to a 10-year-old Christopher D’Amico Jr. who was killed in a June pontoon accident on Lake…
Read MoreDo Cruise Ship Assault Victims Have Legal Rights?
As we reported in this August 2014 blog, cruise ship assaults are often perpetuated by employees and/or other passengers aboard vessels. If you are assaulted on a cruise line, you should be aware that you might have specific legal rights. Depending upon where and when the alleged assault took place, you may be able to…
Read MoreTHE FINDING OF THE EL FARO BY THE UNITED STATES NAVY & THE FILING OF THE PETITION OF LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
This past Friday, as the owners of the El Faro, Sea Star Lines, d/b/a, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico and Tote Services, Inc., were filing a lawsuit in the Federal Court in Jacksonville, Florida, to limit and possibly, eliminate, their liability in the sinking of the EL FARO and the death of 33 crew members, the…
Read MoreNavy Tug Apache Continues El Faro Search
According to the Navy Times, the search for the missing cargo ship El Faro continued last week as the Navy sent its fleet ocean tug Apache to help investigators. The Apache left Norfolk, Virginia with undersea search systems onboard designed to find the El Faro, which is believed to have sunk. The vessel went missing…
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