Tulsa Man Charged in Fatal Boating Accident Pleads Not Guilty

The man charged with two counts of first degree manslaughter in a Grand Lake boating accident that killed two people in May pleaded not guilty on December 13. The accused man was allegedly the operator of the boat that collided into an empty 96-foot houseboat on Grand Lake near Arrowhead Yacht Club. The accident killed…

Read More

North Carolina Ferry Accident Injures Passengers, Crew

A ferry ran aground on Battery Island, North Carolina on December 17, injuring more than 12 people, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The passenger ferry was carrying 53 passengers at the time of the accident. One passenger was flown to a local hospital, while 12 others were taken to regional hospitals. Seven other passengers…

Read More

New Jersey Ferry Accident Injures Several On Board, Including Captain

A New Jersey ferry accident on November 30 injured several people on board, including the vessel’s captain. The ferry hit a Jersey City pier 300 yards north of the dock it was traveling to, causing many passengers and crewmembers to fall. Five passengers and two crewmembers, one being the ship’s captain, reported injuries. Three were…

Read More

Passengers Told to “Brace for Impact” in Staten Island Ferry Accident

Ferry operators told passengers to “brace for impact” when a Staten Island ferry collided into a Whitehall terminal dock in lower Manhattan on November 14. According to transportation department authorities, a “power disruption” may have caused the crash. Passengers on board said that the ferry collided with the dock hard and that operators “told everybody…

Read More

Cruise Ship Injury? Our Nationwide Maritime Attorneys Can Help

Our nationwide maritime attorneys can help victims of cruise ship accidents, injuries and assault. A recent string of cruise ship accidents have shown that passengers and crew on board these large vessels are at risk for serious injuries and death when there is negligence or recklessness. Most recently, a woman leaped overboard a cruise ship…

Read More

Hyak Ferry Crash Caused by Captain and Trainee Error, According to Investigators

The September Hyak ferry accident that sunk a 27-foot sailboat on the Salish Sea outside Washington State was caused by human error and inattentiveness of the ferry captain and second mate who was in training at the time of the accident. According to an investigation done by Washington State Ferries, the collision between the 382-foot…

Read More

Boat Operator in Fatal Hudson River Crash Admitted to Drinking, Officials Say

Boat Operator in Fatal Hudson River Crash Admitted to Drinking, Officials Say [ubermenu-map address=”Tappan Zee Bridge, New York” zoom=”14″ width=”375px” height=”375px”] A prosecutor said in court on November 20 that the man accused of causing a boat accident on the Hudson River in July, killing a bride-to-be and her fiancé’s best man, admitted to “drinking…

Read More

Our Maritime Attorneys Help Victims of Drunken Boating Accidents

The case against a man charged with killing two boys in a June 2012 boating accident has been delegated to a jury. Paul Bennett, the boat operator at the time of the accident, is facing charges of homicide by vessel, failure to render aid, reckless operation and boating under the influence. On July 18, 2012,…

Read More

Maritime Trial Lawyer: Boat Operator in Fatal Hudson River Accident Charged in 18-Count Indictment

The operator of a boat involved in a Hudson River accident that killed a bride-to-be and her fiancé’s best man in July was charged in an 18-count indictment on November 7. The driver, 35-year-old JoJo John, is facing counts of first-degree vehicular manslaughter (2), second-degree vehicular manslaughter (4), second-degree manslaughter (2), criminally negligent homicide (2),…

Read More

Wall Street Ferry Crash Victims Reach Settlement

Almost $1 million in damages were awarded this month to victims of the Wall Street ferry accident that occurred January. Ferry operation company SeaStreak settled 40 of the 45 claims against them. Four additional claims were filed in early November. Victims of the ferry accident have filed claims for injuries like knee injuries, shoulder damage…

Read More

Seaman Sues Shipping Company after Barge Accident

A New Orleans seaman is suing his employer after being injured in a barge accident. According to the lawsuit, the vessel worker was on board the M/V Jean Laffitte when a collision occurred between the vessel and a barge, allegedly as a result of the ship captain’s negligence. The plaintiff suffered severe injuries to his…

Read More

Pentwater Man Dies in Barge Accident on Lake Michigan

A 37-year-old man was killed on board a barge on Lake Michigan in a work accident on November 3. The barge P.M. 41 was heading north on the lake around 11:45 a.m. when the U.S. Coast Guard got a call about an employee dying in a conveyor belt accident on deck. According to the Coast…

Read More

No-Boating Zones Established on the Hudson River

The U.S. Coast Guard has established no-boating zones on the Hudson River due to construction on the Tappan Zee Bridge, where an accident that killed two people and injured three others occurred in July. However, the area where boats will no longer be allowed does not include the actual area where the accident occurred. On…

Read More

University Student Pleads Guilty to Drunken Boating

A Colorado State University student has pleaded guilty to drunken boating after severely injuring a man at Horsetooth Reservoir last summer. The 22-year-old student took a plea agreement on October 8, had a vehicular assault charge dismissed and will be receiving probation. The student ran over another man on June 30 when he reversed the…

Read More

Ferry Captain on Leave After Sinking Sailboat

The captain and second mate of the Hyak ferry that sank a sailboat on the Salish Sea on September 13 are officially on leave as the investigation continues. Jack Gray was riding in his sailboat when the 382-foot Hyak ferry crashed into and sank his boat. Both Gray and his dog were stuck at sea…

Read More

13-Year-Old Injured after Massachusetts Boating Accident

13-Year-Old Injured after Massachusetts Boating Accident A 13-year-old boy was critically injured on September 2 when he was struck by a boat while tubing with friends at the Hingham Yacht Club. The boy was riding a tube being pulled by a motorboat with two other teenage friends in a designated water skiing and tubing area…

Read More

Body Found After Tennessee Boating Accident on J. Percy Priest Lake

Body Found After Tennessee Boating Accident on J. Percy Priest Lake A 39-year-old man’s body was found in J. Percy Priest Lake on September 2 in Tennessee, the day after a boating accident occurred near the Four Corners Marina. Harvie Butler was thrown from his boat when it collided with another boat, causing injuries to…

Read More

One Dead After Massachusetts Boating Accident on Taunton River

A 47-year-old man died in May when the boat he was riding on slammed into a tree in the Taunton River in Massachusetts. Manuel Pinheiro suffered severe head injuries when the operator, Anthony Rose, of the boat collided with a tree. Rose pleaded not guilty to drunken boating homicide and negligent operation of a boat,…

Read More

US Coast Guard Releases Top Ten List of Towing Vessel Inadequacies

The U.S. Coast Guard has made a handout describing the 10 most common problems with towing vessels it has found during investigations of uninspected vessels. The list was created as part of the Towing Vessel Bridging Program, a program designed to help owners and operators of these towing vessel correct issues and implement new safety…

Read More

56-Year-Old Crabber Killed in Collision with Tug and Barge

56-Year-Old Crabber Killed in Collision with Tug and Barge A man died this summer when his crab boat collided with a tug and barge in Port Arthur, Texas. 56-year-old John Tran was the only victim of the accident when he collided with the tugboat Father Seelos. The tugboat was in a high-traffic section of the…

Read More

Deck Hand Dead After Towboat Sinks in Mississippi River

A 22-year-old deck hand drowned when new towboat Megan McB sank in the Upper Mississippi River after it allegedly lost power and floated over a dam. Two crewmembers escaped from the top level of the boat after it floated over the roller gate of a damn and came to rest on its side. The third…

Read More

US Representative’s Husband Suffers Head Injury in Maine Boating Accident

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree’s husband suffered significant brain trauma during a boating accident in Portland Harbor. The couple and four others were riding a water taxi back from a wedding earlier this month when the taxi collided with a powerboat near Fort Gorges. Pingree’s husband was rushed to the Maine Medical Center and two others…

Read More

Utility Company Sued for Lake of the Ozarks Electrocution Incident

The mother of two St. Louis children that were electrocuted and killed last Fourth of July at Lake of the Ozarks is suing Union Electric Company for wrongful death. The children, an eight-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl, died while swimming at their family’s vacation home after being electrocuted due to a short circuit shock. The…

Read More

North Carolina Fisherman Dies After Wire Snaps

A 24-year-old fisherman, Donald Alversa was killed this past weekend when a vessel wire snapped and struck him on board a 90-foot vessel F/V JASON & DANIELLE.  The Coast Guard was notified immediately and it took an hour for an MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter to reach the vessel which was at the Outer Banks. After…

Read More

New Jersey Boating Accident Numbers Unaffected by Storm Debris

Boating accident numbers in New Jersey did not spike this summer, despite concerns over safety hazards due to debris in waterways from Superstorm Sandy. Work to clean waterways began last winter and fears of increased boating accident form debris stuck around all summer. The numbers, however, have stayed the same with seasonal norms, and are…

Read More

Illinois Family Sues Waterway after 10-Year-Old Killed in Boating Wreck

A year after 10-year-old Tony Borcia was killed in a boating accident on Petite Lake, Illinois, his family is suing Fox Waterway Agency, claiming it failed to provide rules and regulations for safe boating. Borcia fell out of an inflatable tube in July of 2012 and was struck by another boat. The driver of the…

Read More

Eight Workers Injured in Boat House Explosion at Navy Base

Eight workers were injured in a boathouse explosion last week at a New Jersey Navy base while performing routine maintenance. One person was hospitalized with serious injuries while the other seven sustained only minor injuries, mostly consistent with smoke inhalation. An investigation into the cause of the explosion is still underway. According to USA Today,…

Read More

Two Workers Killed by Toxic Gases on ‘The Love Boat’

Two Turkish workers are dead after being exposed to noxious gases in an engine room on board the famous ship from ABC’s “The Love Boat.” The boat had arrived in Turkey to be disassembled for parts after suffering significant flooding damage during its voyage. Ten workers were sent to the ship’s engine room to siphon…

Read More

Tennessee Fisherman Dead After Boating Accident

Athens fisherman Anthony Szozda is dead after running his boat into a low-hanging power line over the Tennessee River and nearly decapitating himself. Szozda was participating in a bass tournament when the accident occurred. Trinity resident Jonathan Poole was driving a boat close behind the victim when he spotted the power line just above the…

Read More

Oklahoma Ski Boat Driver Turns Self in After Fatal Boating Accident

NewsOK reported that a ski boat driver wanted in connection with a July 4 fatal boating accident turned himself in to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. After the body of Gary McInnich, 55, was recovered from Lake Eufaula, Ryan Shumway, 30, of McAlester, turned himself in at the McIntosh County District Attorney’s office. Around 10:10 p.m.…

Read More

Liverpool Amphibious Tourist Vehicle Sinks

In June, a Yellow Duckmarine, an amphibious tourist vehicle popular in Liverpool, England, carrying more than 30 passengers sank, according to The Telegraph. The Yellow Duckmarine began to slowly sink after completing its big finish, known as the “splashdown” landing, where the vehicle drives down a ramp into the water. Several agencies rushed to the…

Read More

One Dead, One Injured in Tennessee Boating Accident

A man is facing vehicular homicide charges after a deadly boating accident near downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, according to WSMV in Nashville. The man, Doug Jackson, and four other friends were boating when, as a joke, he pushed two of his friends into the water. However, unbeknownst to him, one of his friends, Stephanie Burns, a…

Read More

Best Man and Bride-To-Be Killed In NY Boat Crash

Best Man and Bride-To-Be Killed In NY Boat Crash The best man and bride-to-be of a wedding party died in a July 26 recreational boating accident on the Hudson River, according to Reuters. Mark Lennon, 30, and Lindsey Stewart, 30, were the only fatalities when a speedboat carrying six members of a wedding party crashed…

Read More

Tuna Capsized Boat, Nearly Drowned Fisherman

  Anthony Wichman, 54, of Koloa, Hawaii had his 14-foot boat capsized and was dragged into the Pacific and nearly drowned by an Ahi tuna, according to CNN. Wichman was fishing off the coast of Kauai on the morning of July 19, when he hooked the 230-pound tuna, and after an hour of fighting it,…

Read More

New Orleans Tugboat Accident Causes Cruise Ship To Alter Its Course

The Carnival Conquest, a 3,000-passenger Carnival Cruise Lines cruise ship, was diverted to Mobile, Alabama last month because of a tugboat accident that prevented it from reaching its intended destination, New Orleans, Louisiana. According to the Cruise Critic, the 48-foot tugboat capsized and sank in the Mississippi River near Venice, Louisiana, forcing the U.S. Coast…

Read More

Crew Survives After Merchant Vessel Splits In Two Off Mumbai Coast

The Savannah Morning News reported that the Comfort, a Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) container vessel, split in two last month during inclement weather off the coast of Yemen. The incident occurred about 840 miles west of Mumbai, and the Coast Guard reported that the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai diverted three nearby ships for…

Read More

Ferry Accident Severs Arm of Worker in Ottawa

The Ottawa Citizen in Canada reported that a veteran employee of the Quyon ferry had his right arm severed in a ferry accident on July 11. Four men were working on the company’s new vessel, a 215-ton cable ferry with space for 21 cars, when a cable snapped and severed the arm of 33-year-old Harold…

Read More

Will Bigger Vessels Mean Bigger Problems for Container Ship Workers?

This past January, the Washington Post reported that the $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal was officially half-complete, but Reuters reported last month that Chinese company HKND Group won a concession to design, build and manage a $40 billion canal in Nicaragua. Why build a canal only a few hundred miles from one that…

Read More

OSPREY Case is Reminder That Coast Guard Cannot Come to Every Mariner’s Aid

On June 9, the US Coast Guard medically evacuated a crewman from THE NAVIGATOR tugboat in the vicinity of Gunboat Shoals, near Portsmouth, New Hampshire. According to a Coast Guard news release, the unidentified crewmember sustained a fractured leg and was transported to awaiting EMS at Station Portsmouth Harbor before being taken by ambulance to…

Read More

Dramatic USCG Medevac Rescue of Injured Crewmember Near Massachusetts

Cape Cod Today reported on July 1 that the US Coast Guard performed a very difficult medical evacuation of a 50-year-old crewmember from the OCEAN PROWLER fishing vessel after the man was reportedly suffering from chest pains and had been going in and out of consciousness for 15 minutes. The rescue was complicated by heavy…

Read More