fishing vessel injuries’
Crab Fishing Vessel Deckhand Suffers Fatal Heart Attack after Rescue
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
A deckhand on a crab fishing vessel suffered a heart attack and died soon after a daring Coast Guard rescue off the coast of Half Moon Bay. The man was working on board the crab fishing boat, Betty K, when the boat began taking on water. The Coast Guard was informed., and crews used pumps to try to get the water out of the boat. However, the vessel capsized in just a couple of minutes.
The captain of the boat and the deckhand fell into the water. Neither was wearing a survival suit or lifejacket. The victim was airlifted by...
Failure to Provide Proper Life Saving Equipment can Constitute Claims of Unseaworthiness, Jones Act Negligence
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
A seaman never hopes to be in a position where he needs to use life rafts, life jackets, firefighting equipment, and myriad other life saving devices that a vessel must have. However, failure to have properly functioning life saving equipment can very often mean the difference between life and death for a seaman.
The Coast Guard last month terminated the voyages of three commercial fishing vessels off Alaska. The Coast Guard conducted an inspection of the vessels and found that one of them had expired life rafts, while other two did not have lifesaving devices at all. The vessels were...
Coast Guard Conducts Crabbing Vessel Safety Inspection as Season Begins
Monday, January 11th, 2010
As part of its efforts to prevent injuries associated with crabbing vessel crewmembers, the Coast Guard conducted spot inspections just before the Dungeness crab fishing season commenced off Oregon, last week. The aptly named Operation Safe Crab involved spot checking of fishing vessels, as crewmembers set sail in a lucrative and deadly season, that involves plenty of risk and hazards. Checks of fishing vessels in the past have shown improper installation of life rafts and EPIRBs, overloading, and lack of life saving equipment. These violations mean the difference between life and death for a worker in an emergency.
Commercial...
Body of Missing Fishing Vessel Crewmember Recovered in Oregon
Monday, January 11th, 2010
A dive team in Oregon has recovered the body of a crab fishing vessel crewmember, who fell off the boat last week. Coast Guard crews had been dispatched to the scene after receiving a radio call from the vessel that one of the crew had fallen overboard.
It’s hard to fully appreciate the nightmare that can quickly unfold for a seaman on a tanker, freighter, commercial fishing vessel or any other type of Jones Act vessel, if he manages to fall off. This is especially more so if such falls occur during the winter season, when you can expect freezing...
Appeals Court Reverses Jones Act Seaman’s Summary Judgment Regarding Fatigue
Sunday, January 10th, 2010
In an interesting decision, an appeals court has held that a vessel owner may be held liable for injuries suffered by a crewmember because of working long hours.
The injured seaman Samson Ili, used to work 16-hour shifts, lifting heavy trays of frozen fish, weighing up to 70 pounds. During one such shift, Ili fell, and suffered serious injuries. He sued the vessel owner, filing a Jones act claim as well as a claim of unseaworthiness. A federal district court granted summary judgment for the vessel owner. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has now reversed...
