Barge Accident Kills Worker on Mississippi River

This WISN-TV video reports on a crane accident on a barge in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that killed 35-year-old Joseph Bidler in July 2012. The Oshkosh Northwestern reported that it was the second crane fatality to occur during US Highway 41 construction this year, and Lunda Construction was at risk of being placed in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) severe violators enforcement program.

On November 16, 2012, KSDK-TV reported that OSHA was investigating the death of another barge worker. According to the Telegraph, 23-year-old Jason Sagez sustained fatal injuries after a chain that was holding a 4-ton tugboat propeller broke under the tension and struck him, knocking him into the Mississippi River. Co-workers pulled Sagez from the river and tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene after attempts to revive him failed.

Sagez’s uncle and Hardin, Illinois, mayor Phil Gress told the Telegraph that Sagez and his girlfriend were planning on signing papers the next day to purchase their first home. KSDK reported that Gress had to identify the body and inform the rest of the family. “That’s the worst thing I’ve ever had to do,” Gress told KSDK.

When workers are injured or killed in tug and barge accidents, their families may be entitled to compensation under the Jones Act or other maritime laws. Latti & Anderson LLP has obtained several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for hundreds of clients, including $900,000 for a man who sustained a herniated disc in his back while employed as a boatswain on a 755-foot integrated tug barge. If you have sustained catastrophic injuries or a loved one was killed in a tug or barge accident, use the form located on this page to let our Jones Act attorneys review your case or contact our firm at (800) 392-6072 to schedule an appointment.

Latti & Anderson LLP – Jones Act lawyers