Three Washington State Ferry workers were awarded a combined verdict of $1.1M for lung damage resulting from cleaning products and lack of instructions from the Washington State Ferries. The three workers, Tammy Brazeau, Alex Johnson and Natette Lewis, were cleaning a restroom with a substance called Hi ‘N Dry as…
The bodies of two swimmers, a 57-year old male and his 13 year-old nephew, have been recovered from Lake St. Clair near Detroit, Michigan on Tuesday. Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel reported that the two had jumped into the water to go swimming with a 31-year old relative. Their pontoon…
The United States Coast Guard is looking for a 31-year old man who fell overboard early Tuesday morning near Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The individual, whose name has not been released, was working aboard a crabbing vessel about two miles south of Frog Island in Albemarle Sound when he fell…
The United States Coast Guard airlifted a fisherman who sustained a bad cut on a fishing vessel off the coast of Beach Haven, New Jersey on Sunday. The injured fisherman is a 22-year-old mariner who was working aboard the Captain Bob, which was operating 110 miles east of Beach Haven,…
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected a fisherman’s claim that a verbal agreement to fish the entire season was grounds for recovering “unearned wages” after he became injured. Fisherman Jesse O’Neal signed a contract to work for American Seafoods Company. In the “fine print “,…
Seaman and fishermen do not always work aboard vessels. Sometimes a seaman’s duties require him or her to perform shore side tasks. Unfortunately, injuries do occur to seamen ashore. Well established maritime law requires that the employer must provide the mariner with a safe work environment. Over the years, courts…
The U.S. is prepared to spend $50 million of the allocated federal stimulus money to help fish farmers who have been hit by a 50% increase in feed prices last year. These funds are designed to aid fish farmers all across the country. According to the Associated Press, the funds…
A Good Samaritan vessel rushed to the aid of a scallop vessel whose engine room had caught fire outside Barnegat early Sunday morning. The troubled vessel, an 80-foot vessel named The Captain OJ Riggs, was harvesting scallops when an engine fire caused all three onboard to deploy a life raft.…
The United States Coast Guard has suspended its search for a seaman who reportedly fell overboard 14 miles off the Matagorda coast last Friday, July 17th. The seaman was a 47-year old Hispanic male working aboard the 60-foot shrimping vessel the Wylie Milam. The Coast Guard was notified of the…
The United States Coast Guard successfully medevaced a mariner whose finger was severely injured this past weekend. 50-year old John Engelbrecht from Bainbridge Island, Washington was working on a diesel engine when his right index finger got caught in one of the gears, crushing and partially severing the finger. Engelbrecht…