Posts Tagged ‘wrongful death’
Are Oil Rig Companies Failing to Provide Proper Training to Workers?
On March 11th, federal safety officials launched an investigation into the death of an oil rig worker in the Gulf of Mexico after the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement responded to a fatal injury report. According to NOLA.com, the platform is located about 150 miles off shore, south of New Orleans and is owned…
Read MoreWhy Was This Boater Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison?
A judge sentenced a woman to seven years in prison last month for a boating accident that happened in December of 2013. That day, the boater and her boyfriend were drinking and enjoying the weather when she drove her 18-foot boat into a piling underneath the Old Griffin Road Bridge in Dania Beach, Florida. A surveillance…
Read MoreHow Did This 3-Year-Old Die in a Boating Accident?
Last month, a 3-year-old boy was on a fishing trip with his family at Canyon Ferry Lake in Montana. He was playing on a cement boat launch that had an extended dock, which is usually pulled in the water. However, the water levels were particularly low, so the boat launch had been stored to the…
Read MoreBody 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 More56-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 MoreDeck 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 MoreTwo 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 MoreOklahoma 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 MoreOne 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 MoreBest 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 MoreCrew 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 MoreConnecticut Vessel Sinking Results in No Injuries, But One Dies in North Carolina Sinking
Connecticut Vessel Sinking Results in No Injuries, But One Dies in North Carolina Sinking The Hartford Courant reported that a 63-foot boat sank in Long Island Sound off of Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Connecticut, on June 22. Goshen Fire Department Chief Donald Chapman Jr. told the Courant that the vessel struck something the…
Read More‘Cruise Industry Passenger Bill Of Rights’ Addresses Inconveniences, But Does Nothing For Injustices
‘Cruise Industry Passenger Bill Of Rights’ Addresses Inconveniences, But Does Nothing For Injustices After there were a number of highly publicized problems with cruise lines, US Senator Charles Schumer of New York called for the cruise ship industry to adopt a “bill of rights” that guarantees passengers certain protections. On May 22, the Cruise Lines…
Read MoreBoston Maritime Attorneys Stress Importance of Drowning Awareness
Boston Maritime Attorneys Stress Importance of Drowning Awareness This WCVB-TV segment from last April discussing a new technology that could help prevent drowning deaths. The video notes that with the weather becoming more favorable during this time of year, drowning is the second leading cause of death among children nationwide. As Tom Healey, the owner…
Read MoreFatal Consequences to Going Full Speed Ahead on Water
This WALA-TV video discusses a speedboat accident in Florida’s Santa Rosa Sound that killed one person and sent four others to the hospital. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said 61-year-old Gary Lowry was killed after the 42-foot cigarette style boat went airborne and shattered into pieces after traveling at high speed in the waters…
Read MoreCoast Guard Rescues Hypothermic Overboard F/V STELLA Crewmember
Coast Guard Rescues Hypothermic Overboard F/V STELLA Crewmember This video shows the US Coast Guard medevac rescue of a 35-year-old crewmember who was exhibiting signs of hypothermia after falling overboard from the 58-foot F/V STELLA on March 15. According to a Coast Guard news release, the man was exposed to 37.6 degree Fahrenheit water in…
Read MoreCARNIVAL LEGEND is Cruise Line’s Fourth Ship to Have Issues at Sea
CARNIVAL LEGEND is Cruise Line’s Fourth Ship to Have Issues at Sea As this video from Canada’s Global National newscast notes, the CARNIVAL LEGEND became the cruise line’s fourth ship in less than a month to experience problems while at sea when it was forced to cancel a port of call to Grand Cayman on…
Read MoreCoast Guard Seeking Public’s Help in Locating Missing Boat Captain
Coast Guard Seeking Public’s Help in Locating Missing Boat Captain The US Coast Guard released the photo above as part of a March 8 press release asking for help from the public in gathering information regarding the 49-year-old Venezuelan national whose body was discovered amongst wreckage about 22 miles east of the entrance to the…
Read MoreCoast Guard Suspends Search for Overboard MV ICE RIVER Crewmember
Coast Guard Suspends Search for Overboard MV ICE RIVER Crewmember On February 20, the US Coast Guard suspended the search for a crewmember who reportedly fell overboard from the MV ICE RIVER approximately 50 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The master of the 478-foot merchant vessel contacted Coast Guard watchstanders to report that…
Read MoreMan Dies After Being Pinned Between Barge and Morgan Bridge
Michael McQuade was killed after he became pinned between a barge and the wall of the Morgan Bridge in Sayreville, New Jersey, on February 17. Coast Guard spokesperson Jetta Disco told the Courier News that the incident involved a barge and a tugboat, although the 34-year-old McQuade was not a crewmember of either of the…
Read MoreBoston Maritime Attorneys Examine Coast Guard Medevacs on Cruise Ships
Boston Maritime Attorneys Examine Coast Guard Medevacs on Cruise Ships During the four days that it took to tow the disabled CARNIVAL TRIUMPH to Mobile, Alabama, the US Coast Guard provided valuable assistance. On the evening that the fire in the cruise ship’s engine room resulted in the loss of power that left the TRIUMPH…
Read MoreBoston Maritime Trial Lawyers Discuss San Diego Whale Watching Tour Death, Passenger Injuries
Boston Maritime Trial Lawyers Discuss San Diego Whale Watching Tour Death, Passenger Injuries KGTV-TV reported that 85-year-old Mary Ann Lanyon died after falling down some stairs on the MARIETTA, a 100-foot two-deck tour boat operated by San Diego Harbor Excursions. Lanyon’s husband, Wally was too upset to speak on camera with KGTV, but called the…
Read MoreBoston Maritime Attorneys Emphasize Investigation in Recreational Boating Accidents
Boston Maritime Attorneys Emphasize Investigation in Recreational Boating Accidents A 35-year-old woman died after being crushed between a boat and the MacArthur Causeway on the Intracoastal Waterway in Miami, Florida. WTVJ-TV reported that Janette Africano was on an 18-foot vessel being operated by 35-year-old Javier Lorente on January 12, 2012. The boat was southbound when…
Read MoreCoast Guard Suspends Search for Two Fishermen Presumed Lost at Sea
Coast Guard Suspends Search for Two Fishermen Presumed Lost at Sea This video from WCVB-TV discusses a rescue capsule discovered in a Saugus marsh. The Gloucester Times reported that the pod, marked Foxy Lady II on the side, was found around the same time that the US Coast Guard (USCG) called off the night’s search…
Read MoreJones Act Lawyers Explain How Federal Law for Seamen Differs from Workers Compensation
If seamen or maritime workers sustain injuries because of slip and falls, line breaks or other accidents resulting from employer’s negligence while working on a vessel, the Jones Act and general maritime law allows these individuals to pursue compensation that can be more substantial than workers’ compensation. The Jones Act and general maritime law not…
Read MoreCrewmember Falls to Death on Cargo Ship in Thunder Bay Port
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…
Read MoreBoston Maritime Trial Lawyers Discuss Spate of Florida Boating Accidents During Thanksgiving Weekend
Boston Maritime Trial Lawyers Discuss Spate of Florida Boating Accidents During Thanksgiving Weekend This video from ABC News discusses the large wave that hit the CORAL PRINCESS on Thanksgiving day, capsizing the 45-foot catamaran and throwing 21 passengers and two crewmembers in to the waters off Pompano Beach, Florida. The Sun-Sentinel reported that 54-year-old Nina…
Read MoreBoston Maritime Attorneys Discuss Danger of All-You-Can-Drink Packages on Cruise Lines
Boston Maritime Attorneys Discuss Danger of All-You-Can-Drink Packages on Cruise Lines On November 15, 2012, ABC News reported that Norwegian Cruise Line will be testing an all-you-can-drink package on three of its ships. As ABC noted, this is “a trend among cruise lines that appears to be gaining momentum.” The story pointed out that cruise…
Read MoreOne Worker Killed, Another Missing and 11 Injured in Another Explosion in Gulf of Mexico
Ann Rolfes, founding director of environmental health and justice organization the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, told the Times-Picayune that “the ink was barely dry” on a record $4.5 billion BP settlement when there was an explosion and fire aboard Black Elk Energy’s West Delta Block 32 production platform in the Gulf of Mexico. “This accident is…
Read MoreShipyard Worker Killed in Galveston Backhoe Accident
The Galveston County Daily News reported on November 6, 2012, that a 40-year-old contract employee was killed while operating a backhoe from outside the cab at Southwest Shipyard, L.P. on Pelican Island (seen in this video). John Florence of the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office told the Daily News that the crew was digging a…
Read MoreFishing Workers Have Highest Rate of Fatal Injury, BLS Says
In a news release issued on October 25, 2012, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said that private industry employers reported nearly 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses last year. This resulted in an incidence rate of 3.5 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers in 2011, and marked the first time in a…
Read MoreTwo Brothers Killed in Drunk Boating Accident on Lake Lanier
At about 10:30 p.m. on June 18, a fishing vessel travelling at a high rate of speed on Lake Lanier, Ga., struck a pontoon boat with 13 people aboard, resulting in the deaths of two brothers. Jake Prince, 9, died at the scene of the crash. Griffin Prince, 13, was thrown overboard by the impact,…
Read MoreCommercial Fishing Vessel Sent Back to Port for Safety Violations
Commercial Fishing Vessel Sent Back to Port for Safety Violations Last Tuesday, a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement team escorted the F/V BRYNN TAMARA to port in Metlakatla, Alaska, after discovering several safety violations during a random safety check. According to a Coast Guard press release, the lone fisherman aboard the 24-foot vessel “did not…
Read MoreM/V WENATCHEE Crew Saves Woman’s Life
On May 26, the crew of the M/V WENATCHEE, operated by Washington State Ferries, responded to a “man overboard” situation in the frigid Puget Sound. According to an account by Mate Dan Twohig, here’s what happened. At 9:15 p.m., two teenage girls notified Mate Twohig and Captain Steve Hopkins that somebody had jumped off the…
Read MoreCOSTA CONCORDIA Tragedy Prompts Cruise Industry to Adopt New Safety Policies
COSTA CONCORDIA Tragedy Prompts Cruise Industry to Adopt New Safety Policies On Jan. 13, the COSTA CONCORDIA capsized off the coast of Italy after striking a reef, claiming the lives of 32 people, including an elderly couple from Minnesota. In the wake of this tragic cruise ship accident, the cruise industry has been reviewing its…
Read MoreThree More Bodies Found in COSTA CONCORDIA Wreckage
Divers located three more bodies in the COSTA CONCORDIA wreckage last Thursday, bringing the total body count to 28. Four people still remain missing and are presumed dead. Details about the victims’ genders and ages were not immediately released. According to media reports, the bodies were seen between the hull and the seabed. As of…
Read MoreDOHSA Applies to Certain Airplane and Helicopter Crashes
The Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) made headlines following the Deepwater Horizon explosion, as people became concerned that BP would get away with paying only minimal damages to the family members of the 11 rig workers who died in that tragic offshore accident. One thing about DOHSA that many people may not know…
Read MoreWhy the BP Oil Spill Thrust DOHSA into the Spotlight
The BP Deepwater Horizon explosion occurred more than three nautical miles from the U.S. shoreline, making the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) applicable to wrongful death claims filed by family members of the 11 rig workers who died in this tragic offshore accident. Sadly, because this maritime law is outdated, it can drastically…
Read MoreWhat Is the Death on the High Seas Act?
Congress enacted the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) in 1920 to allow families of persons killed more than three nautical miles from a U.S. shoreline to seek compensation for their loved one’s wrongful death if it resulted from negligence or unseaworthiness. Unfortunately this law is rather cold, limiting most claimants’ recovery to loss…
Read MoreMiddleborough Woman Dies on Royal Caribbean Cruise After Falling Down Staircase
On Jan. 30, Middleborough, Mass. resident Barbara Wood, 47, fell down a staircase on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas, hit her head and died aboard the ship. Reportedly, Wood was leaving the onboard Catacombs nightclub when the accident occurred. She received treatment in the ship’s infirmary but was pronounced dead at 2:50 a.m. Although…
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