Articles Posted in Injury at Sea

On Tuesday, February 25, the Coast Guard was called in to medevac a crewman, aged 25-30, for a severe injury to his left hand. According to the record, the Coast Guard medevaced the man from OCEAN PHOENIX via helicopter to Cold Bay, and from there he was taken to Providence Medical Center in Anchorage.

Reports indicate that this happened about 85 miles northwest of Cold Bay. The crewman’s name and current condition have not been released. At the time of his medevac, winds were at 35mph winds with 10-foot seas.

OCEAN PHOENIX, a 680-foot fish processor owned by Premier Pacific Seafoods of Seattle, has had a slew of bad luck this month. On February 16, one of the crewmen was medevaced for an eye injury. On February 13, a 25-year-old crewmember was medevaced because she was experiencing chest pains.

About 34 miles northwest of Cold Bay, Alaska, on Sunday morning, fish processor OCEAN PHOENIX crew members contacted the Coast Guard requesting a medevac for a 30-year-old crewmate who had suffered an eye injury. The Coast Guard arrived to medevac the injured man via Jayhawk helicopter for emergency care in Cold Bay. The man was then transported by commercial airline to Anchorage for further treatment.

Seas during the medevac were reported to be eight to ten feet with low visibility and 28mph winds, including intermittent squalls.

The man’s name and current condition have not been released.

Seattle-based factory trawler KATIE ANN had her windows blown out at around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 8, thanks to high winds in a storm which also caused damage on land over the weekend. KATIE ANN was working northwest of Unimak Island at the time.

KATIE ANN fortunately did not lose power and was able to head to Unalaska without Coast Guard assistance, reaching Unalaska that afternoon. According to reports, about six crew members were injured and were seen at the local clinic once KATIE ANN arrived in port; none required medevac.

On January 9, off Cold Bay, Alaska, a 50-year-old crewman aboard Seattle-based, 50-foot PAVLOF became ill and required a Coast Guard medevac for health care. The Coast Guard helicopter picked the crewman up about 55 miles northwest of Cold Bay and transported him to the Cold Bay Clinic, whence he was further transported to Anchorage. Apparently, the man was suffering from a staph infection. Weather at the time of his medevac was reported as two-foot seas and 17mph winds.

That same day, 74 miles southwest of St. Paul, Alaska, a crewman aboard PROWLER, which is a 109-foot vessel based in Petersburg, required emergency medical care for a left-eye injury. This man was taken aboard Coast Guard Cutter Munro for assessment, whereafter he was airlifted to St. Paul for treatment. Weather at the time of his medevac was reported as calm seas, 11mph winds, and rain showers.

Whether taken ill or injured while in the service of a vessel, the vessel owner is normally responsible for “maintenance and cure,” which covers a small daily stipend and all reasonable medical care until maximum medical cure has been reached. If you have been injured or taken ill while working on a fishing vessel and wish to learn more about your rights, please contact us.

Early on November 30, Clint Owens, 41, suffered a head injury aboard Beaufort, N.C.-based F/V SEA ANGELS when part of the rigging equipment struck him. The crew of SEA ANGELS contacted the Coast Guard around 7:00 a.m., as Mr. Owens’ symptoms included short-term memory loss, severe neck pain, jaw injury, and a laceration.

This happened near Ormond Beach, Florida, which is just north of Daytona Beach. The Coast Guard and EMTs quickly arrived in a response boat, immobilized Mr. Owens, and transported him to shore where a helicopter waited to take him to the hospital. His current condition hasn’t been released.

The Coast Guard praised the SEA ANGELS crew for their use of the VHS marine radio. Using a VHS marine radio is more reliable than using a cell phone in these kinds of situations because they broadcast emergency calls to anyone listening, thus increasing the possible number of responses.

Injuries at sea are often caused by equipment that fails under normal use. Lines snap. Crane parts fail. Deck boards break. Ordinarily, when those items of equipment are produced or inspected immediately following an injury, then the case can be relatively straightforward. But, when there is a passage of time, broken equipment is lost or thrown away. Memories fade – sometimes conveniently fade. There is no question that the lawyer’s job is much easier – and the case much stronger – when the lawyer can get to the scene of the injury soon after it happens and the broken equipment can be preserved.

What happens when the equipment is thrown away? What happens when the injury scene is purposefully altered? There is a rule of law regarding “spoliation” of evidence.

Spoliation of evidence is generally defined as either willfully or negligently destroying or loosing documents or objects that could be used during legal proceedings. Washington State defines spoliation as the “intentional destruction of evidence.” Inherent in this is the assumption that the party which destroyed the evidence, even if the destruction was negligent and not intentional, knew or should have known the evidence would be legally pertinent. A lack of evidence may also beg the question: Did the evidence exist in the first place?
Continue reading

A nineteen year old crewman has reportedly been seriously injured while working on the deck of the 38-foot fishing vessel KITTIWAKE. The accident happened on August 18th when a line under tension snapped, striking Daniel Cornelius in the head, causing facial injuries and knocking him unconscious. The United States Coast Guard airlifted Cornelius from the vessel. He was transported to Kodiak Island for emergency medical treatment and evaluation.
Continue reading

Coast Guard Sector Anchorage watchstanders were notified that a crewman aboard the 32-foot fishing vessel MISS MARIA was suffering from a severely broken forearm, Friday, July 1.

The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter crew to the scene, and safely hoisted the 56-year-old fisherman and transferred him to awaiting emergency medical services in Kodiak. It was determined that the fisherman suffered a double compound fracture to his right forearm. Published reports do not indicate the cause of his injury. The fisherman was taken to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center in reportedly stable condition.

Watchstanders from Coast Guard District Seventeen received notification Thursday, July 7, that Anthony Imas, 50, was injured and required medical assistance. Imas was reportedly suffering from severe back pain after falling aboard the 50-foot fishing vessel HEIDI LINEA.

The Coast Guard directed the launch of a helicopter rescue crew, which arrived on the scene and safely hoisted Imas off the vessel. Coast Guard reports indicate that Imas was in stable condition as of 9:45 Thursday night. Emergency medical services were waiting for Imas’ arrival in Kodiak, where he was taken to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center for further care.

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 transported for emergency medical services. The cause of the accident is unknown at this time and is under investigation.