Coast Guard Rescues Injured Worker, Crew on Sinking Fishing Vessel

On Wednesday, we discussed the US Coast Guard report in which the agency accepted responsibility for a fatal 2009 accident. However, we noted that the Coast Guard’s uncharacteristic negligence in that incident contrasted to the many lives that the agency saves on a daily basis. This video shows one such operation from February 2.

According to a Coast Guard press release, THE SOLT FLAMENCO crew contacted Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi to request a medevac for a crewmember who was struck by a crane and had lost feeling in the lower half of his body. The Coast Guard helicopter medically evacuated the man from the 435-foot tank ship and dropped him off to an EMS crew at the local airport before he was taken to Brownsville Valley Baptist hospital. There was no word on the man’s condition.

On February 4, the Coast Guard rescued four people aboard a sinking vessel approximately eight miles south of Chatham, Massachusetts. The Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England Command Center received a distress call from the 47-foot fishing vessel, CAPTAIN R. M. CHACE, which reported that the boat was taking on water. The crew of the CAPTAIN R. M. CHACE had to offload their catch, but the Coast Guard provided a secondary dewatering pump to control the flooding while they escorted the vessel and crew to Hyannis, Massachusetts.

These incidents are  a reminder of how efficient Coast Guard operations can be in helping both disabled vessels and maritime workers who are injured on the vessels.

Latti & Anderson LLP helps injured maritime workers and the families of seamen killed on the water. We have obtained several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients, and you can find additional information about unseaworthiness and defective equipment laws by visiting our website. If you or a loved sustained catastrophic injuries in an accident on the water, complete the form on this page to let our Jones Act lawyers review your case or contact our firm today at (800) 392-6072 to set up a free consultation.

Latti & Anderson LLP – Jones Act attorneys