Two people had to be rescued after their sailboat collided with a tugboat near the Golden Gate Bridge and sank into the San Francisco Bay on January 26. KGO-TV reported that it was not clear how the two vessels collided or why they were so close. One of the people rescued was suffering from hypothermia. The US Coast Guard rescued one person from the water and the San Francisco Fire Department rescued the other.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the tugboat was towing a barge, and the captains were ordered to port to be interviewed by Coast Guard investigators. Officials did not disclose any information about the sailboat, tug or barge, and Coast Guard Ensign Corinne Gaines said that it was not clear whether the tug or the barge hit the boat. “The sailboat was a total loss – it sunk,” Gaines told the Chronicle.

“Well, there was a fire truck, there was an ambulance, there was a Coast Guard boat, and there was some kind of police boat or something like an emergency boat, and they came through on the other side of the pier,” witness Imran Tibrani told KGO. Two people who saw the commotion said that the tugboat accident “rattled what was otherwise a calm day.”

A investigation will be performed by the Coast Guard who will interview all witnesses, crew members, examine the vessels involved and obtain any recording devices off the vessels to determine each vessel’s path prior to the collision.  It is important to determine whether any steps were taken by either vessel to prevent the collision.

Latti & Anderson LLP has handled collision cases throughout the years of recreational boaters who were injured in recreational boating accidents to collisions of fishing vessels and tankers and representing crew members who were injured or families of crew members who were killed.

You learn more about how we help maritime injury victims and their families by visiting our website. If you or a loved one sustained catastrophic injuries in any type of boating accident, contact our firm at (800) 392-6072 to schedule a free consultation or complete the form on this page to have our Boston maritime trial lawyers review your case.

Latti & Anderson LLP – Boston maritime attorneys