MARITIME CASUALTY - WHAT WENT WRONG AND WHY

The Coast Guard medevaced an injured crew man from the fish processing vessel, America’s Finest, approximately 92 miles northwest of Dutch Harbor Thursday.

A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted the injured crew man from 262-foot fish processor America’s Finest at 12:52 p.m. and flew the patient to Dutch Harbor to the care of LifeMed personnel. Heavy freezing spray had made the rescue more difficult.

The medevac request from America’s Finest came at 2:30 a.m. Thursday. The master reported a crew member had sustained serious injuries to his foot 20 miles west of St. George Island. Such injuries may be found to be caused by some fault covered by Jones Law that entitles the injured crew to compensation for medical expenses and lost wages. A qualified attorney with skill and specific Jones Law experience can help recover appropriate monetary compensation in such cases.

Coast Guard launched its helicopter while America’s Finest made way toward Dutch Harbor. Also, a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Kodiak launched to join the rescue and provide support.

by Tom Evans, Injury at Sea. Continue Reading

The Coast Guard rescued two fishermen from their sinking vessel, Monday in Islet Passage, near Sitka, Alaska.

Watchstanders Juneau Command Center received request for assistance from the fishing vessel Glory at approximately 8 p.m. They directed the launch of a Jayhawk helicopter crew to assist the vessel in distress.

A Coast Guard helicopter aircrew hoisted the two fishermen at approximately 9 p.m. from the 40-foot fishing vessel, Glory, approximately nine miles south of Sitka. The aircrew lowered a rescue swimmer to assess the vessel that was taking on water. The fishermen were unable to secure the source of the flooding and the rescue swimmer advised the fisherman to abandon ship.

A equipment or vessel failure can quickly turn into a life threatening situation. Expert investigation can determine probable fault and take action to get compensation for mariners who’s lives can be forever changed by such incidents.

by Tom Evans, Injury at Sea. Continue Reading

The Coast Guard medevaced a seriously injured crew member from the 169ft fishing vessel F/V Constellation near St. Paul, Alaska. The crewmember was injured when a hatch closed on him.

A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted the crewman from the 169-foot fishing vessel Constellation at about 9:30 a.m., just outside St. Paul Harbor. The Coast Guard placed the man in the care of St. Paul Health Center staff, who later transferred him to a Guardian Flight aircraft crew that flew him to Anchorage for further care.

The Emergency call for the medevac came from Guardian’s master at 7:44 p.m. Sunday, reporting the crew member had sustained a serious injury to his arm after a hatch closed on it. On scene conditions at the time of the initial request included 44-mph wind gusts and 10-foot seas.

Even routine jobs are not necessarily safe in the best of conditions and a slip, fall, or heavy equipment can cause significant injury with loss of income and perhaps livelihood or life. An experienced attorney and expert associates can determine if there is fault involved and if the injured crewman is due compensation to cover living expenses until he is able to return to work, or compensation if he is never able to return to work.

by Tom Evans, Injury at Sea. Continue Reading

Injury at Sea is representing crew members from the sinking of the F/V Laura after the Coast Guard rescued the crewmen from a survival raft. Their fishing vessel the Laura had run aground was taking on water and they were forced to abandon ship.

Fatigue may have been a contributing factor. Applicable maritime law accepts, while a crew member may have caused or contributed to the accident, nonetheless the employer boat-owner may be held liable if fatigue/over work was part of the cause.

Injury at Sea is dedicated to ensuring justice for mariners, and our ongoing investigations continue with the intention of discovering the facts of the case and ensuring compensation for fishermen and all mariners where it is due.

by Tom Evans, Injury at Sea. Continue Reading

Coast Guard rescued five people from a life raft late Monday after the 67 foot fishing vessel Desire sank approximately 20 miles offshore from the mouth of the Umpqua River.

A sinking vessel is a much more dangerous circumstance than most workers face, and the law of the land provides protection and compensation for those suffering from such perils according to who found to be at fault. An experienced Maritime Law firm specializing in these matters can make sure the crew involved is properly taken care of.

About 9pm the captain aboard the 67-foot fishing vessel Desire, homeported in Neah Bay, Washington, called for help on VHF radio and reported the vessel was taking on water. He also reported they were preparing to abandon ship into a life raft. Desire’s EPRIB was activated and the vessel’s location and owner information was transmitted to Coast Guard.

Rescue helicopter from Newport and North Bend, and 47-foor Motor Lifeboat rescue boatcrews from the Siuslaw River and Umpqua River deployed. Once on scene at about 9:30 pm, the helicopter crews located the survivors in the life raft and rescue swimmers facilitated hoisting the survivors. While the helicopter crew rescued the survivors, the Coast Guard boat-crews remained on scene to assist.

“The fishing boat’s crew all had survival suits, properly deployed their survival raft, and shot two flares to assist us in locating them,” said Lt. Conor Regan, a helicopter pilot from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend. Additionally, Regan added that the EPIRB’s transmission allowed watchstanders to confirm details of the radio distress call and expedite the rescue.

Following the successful hoists of all five people from the life raft, the survivors were taken to Air Station North Bend where their care was transferred to awaiting emergency services personnel. In this case there may be no visible injuries but many mariners are not so lucky and need legal help to determine their rights and get compensation when it is due.

by Tom Evans, Injury at Sea. Continue Reading

The Coast Guard rescued four crewmen from a survival raft about 13 nautical miles west of Cape Ommaney, Alaska. Their fishing vessel the 53 ft Julia Breeze was taking on water and they were forced to abandon ship.

Situations like this could easily be injurious to health or prove fatal. In this case the crew appear to be unharmed, however, a full enquiry by experienced attorneys can determine if there is compensation due for the impact of the hazardous and distressing situation they faced abandoning ship in a remote location uncertain of rescue but very certain of the dangers they were facing.

The helicopter crew found them about an hour later and hoisted all four survivors and transported them to Air Station Sitka where they were met by local EMS. All four people were reported to be in stable condition.

The VHF channel 16 distress call from the crew of the 53-foot fishing vessel Julia Breeze at approximately 10:40 p.m. The crew reported they were taking on water and abandoning ship near Cape Ommaney. The rescue helicopter launched about five minutes later at approximately 10:45 p.m. and arrived on scene at approximately 11:40 p.m. They located a debris field in the water and all crew people wearing survival suits in a survival raft.

Nicholas Meyer, Sector Juneau command duty officer said, “Their EPIRB confirmed their distress location allowing our aircrew’s timely response, and the survival suits and raft greatly contributed to their safety.”

by Tom Evans, Injury at Sea. Continue Reading

A Coast Guard helicopter crew deployed a rescue swimmer to hoist the crew-members from the sinking F/V Laura, and safely transported them to Air Station Kodiak.

The emergency call from the master of the fishing vessel Laura came in at 7 a.m., saying that the vessel had run aground and the crew was abandoning ship in the life rafts.

These crewmen were lucky to be rescued apparently unscathed. The cause of the trauma they were put through deserves a thorough knowledgable investigation. A competent experienced attorney can determine if they have a case for collecting compensation.

A C-130 Hercules and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter located the fishermen with the assistance of the good Samaritan fishing vessel Stillwater crew.

“We want to stress the importance of having proper survival gear on board in case of emergencies,” said Lt. Jacob Rettig, an Air Station Kodiak operations duty officer. “In this case, the crew had survival suits, flares, and strobe lights, which aided in locating and rescuing the crew safely and efficiently.”

The Coast Guard is scheduled to investigate the cause of the incident.

by Tom Evans, Injury at Sea. Continue Reading