A 620-foot cargo ship has collided with a 51-foot aluminum hulled fishing vessel off the coast of Massachusetts. The three crewmen on gillnet boat MICHAEL BRANDON were rescued by the Coast Guard and the vessel towed back to Scituate. The fishing vessel suffered extensive damage and later sank at the…
Maritime Injury Law Blog
Tug Boat Engineer Injured Aboard Tug BARBARA McALLISTER
An engineer aboard the tug BARBARA McALLISTER injured his leg and became stuck in the vessel’s engine room. The tug was working the Hudson River near Kingston N.Y. when the accident happened. With the aid of the United States Coast Guard and local emergency services, the crewman was freed and…
Alaska Diver Dies In Sea Cucumber Fishing Accident
A diver who was a crewman on the 68-foot sea cucumber boat ISLAND DANCER has died in an accident in Alaska’s Chester Bay near Metlakatla. Crew from the vessel reported that the diver surfaced from a dive, removed his mask and immediately sank beneath the water. The crew of the…
1.1 Million Dollar Verdict For Injured Alaska Fisherman
A Washington State King County Court Judge has entered a 1.12 million dollar verdict in favor of an injured Bristol Bay fisherman. The 50-year old fisherman, Ronald Lanphere, injured his knee in 2008 when his rain gear became entangled in a rotating shaft of the vessel’s engine room. Lanphere had…
Ella Ann Sinks on Willapa Bay; One Crewman Lost
Sunday the 30-foot fishing vessel ELLA ANN sank at the mouth of Willapa Bay while fishing for dungeness crab. One of two crewmen aboard the vessel was lost in the accident. 34 year old Luis Perez was tragically lost in the accident. It is unknown at this time what caused…
Five Rescued From Fishing Boat Near Petersburg, Alaska
Five crewmen from the 34-foot fishing vessel SANDY M have been rescued from their sinking boat by the Coast Guard. The crew issued a mayday call saying they were abandoning ship at about 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. Coast Guard helicopters were able to reach the men within 40 minutes,…
One Missing, Another Dead, In Boating Accident On Willapa Bay
A vessel with two men aboard capsized Saturday at the mouth of Willapa Harbor. The body of one man has been recovered, and the other man remains missing. The Coast Guard has suspended the search for the missing man. Few facts are currently known about the accident. After the vessel…
Fishing Company Ordered To Designate Witness To Testify Regarding Comparative Fault Defense
In many cases involving injured fishermen, during litigation to obtain compensation for the crewman under the Jones Act, the fishing company attempts to block and obstruct the crewman from getting information necessary to prepare his case for trial. A Washington State Superior Court Judge in King County has recently ordered…
Alaska Deckhand Suffers Head Injury on CAPE RELIANT
Tom Webster, a 26-year old deckhand aboard the fishing vessel CAPE RELIANT, has been medevaced to a hospital in Anchorage for treatment of head injuries. Webster was reportedly injured around 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday when the 58-foot fishing vessel he was working on was approximately 55 miles northeast of Dutch…
Search Suspended for Columbia River Sailor
The Coast Guard has called a halt to the search for a crewman who fell overboard off a sail boat in the Columbia River. The 46-year old sailor was lost on Sunday when he fell off the 65-foot sailboat BAD DOG near Kelly, Oregon. Despite an air and sea search…