A crew member on the bulk carrier TECUMSEH died in the early morning hours of December 1, 2012, while the grain ship was docked in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Sources told the Chronicle Journal that it appeared the man slipped and fell into one of the boat’s grain holds. CBC News reported that the man hailed from the greater Toronto area, but the 41-year-old’s name has not been released. Scott Bravener, the president of Lower Lakes Towing—the company that owns the cargo ship—told CBC that the 41-year-old victim started working on the TECUMSEH this season.

While the incident was initially considered a labor-related issue, Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) senior investigator Stephane Chevalier told CBC “at this point in time the Transportation Safety Board believes that [the incident] might be something of interest to advance marine transportation safety.” Chevalier also told CBC that a complete investigation could take 12 to 14 months, but the TSB will not issue any penalties because the agency completes investigations to determine the cause of the accident “to hopefully learn lessons so that these accidents don’t happen again.”

Many shipping accidents that result in injuries or deaths to crewmembers are the result of companies failing to follow regulations intended to protect workers. Latti & Anderson LLP obtains compensation for injured crewmembers and files wrongful death claims on behalf of the families of those killed in shipping accidents. One of the multiple multi-milion dollar verdicts and settlements we have secured for clients includes a $1.45 million settlement for the descendant of a longshoreman who was crushed to death between 40-foot shipping containers at a terminal owned by the Massachusetts Port Authority.

We have additional information about container ship accidents on our website. If you or a loved one has sustained injuries in a recreational boating accident, contact our firm at (800) 392-6072 to schedule an appointment or fill out the form on this page to have our Boston maritime attorneys review your case.

Latti & Anderson LLP – Boston maritime trial lawyers