Maritime Injury Law Blog

A 32 years old crewman was lost overboard and drown Wednesday while working on the crab boat BALLAD. The accident happened 10 miles from the Columbia River Entrance. The man was reported to be wearing only rain gear and no flotation work vest at the time of the accident.

The BALLAD is home ported in Chinook, Washington and is a 56 foot crab fishing vessel. Coast Guard records indicate the vessel is owned by Ballad Inc. of Chinook, Washington. The crew of the BALLAD issued a may day call at 1:00 p.m. reporting the man overboard. Helicopter crews from North Bend and Astoria responded to the call and a motor life boat crew from Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco was also dispatched to the search for the crewman. A dive team from Clatsop County was able to recover the crewman’s body whose identity is being withheld pending notification of family.

Tragically, this death again highlights the extreme dangers of the Washington and Oregon State Dungeness crab fisheries. Resent studies released by the National Transportation and Safety Board showed that Dungeness crab fisherman in Washington and Oregon were ten times more likely to die while working than other commercial fisherman. The Coast Guard had implemented operation Safe Crab in an attempt educate fisherman on common safety concerns. Owners of some crab boats in the Ilwaco and Chinook areas require all crewman to wear a floatation type work vest while working on deck.

Families of fisherman who are lost at sea have claims for compensation under Federal Maritime law. Those laws are very complex, particularly where the case involves a death on the high seas. Beard Stacey & Jacobean is one of the nations most experienced maritime law firms in representing families in claims for wrongful death.

On November 12, 2009 the search for three fishermen aboard the F/V Sea Tractor was suspended by the United States Coast Guard. The F/V Sea Tractor was a 44-foot commercial fishing vessel home ported in Cape May. The vessel is believed to have sank in heavy seas of up to 20 feet and high winds. The accident happened approximately 20 miles east of Cape May. The Coast Guard was alerted to the disaster when it received a transmission from the vessel emergency positioning locating beacon (epirb). A Coast Guard helicopter was on the scene approximately an hour later and discovered an empty life raft with a strobe light attached. A fishing vessel in the area reported finding a debris field and the vessel’s epirb.

Believed lost in the tragedy are the vessel’s captain, Kenneth Rose Sr., his son Kenneth Jr., and crewman Larry Forrest. All of the crewmen are reported to be from North Carolina. The loss of the crew of the F/V Sea Tractor follows the loss of six crewmen from the F/V Lady Mary. The Lady Mary was also home ported in Cape May.

The search has been suspended for Gregory Luckett who is reported to have fallen into the water off a 25 foot construction barge near the mouth of the South River in Chesapeake Bay. Luckett and two other workers were reportedly returning from a construction site towing a barge when they encountered stormy weather, Luckett apparently lost his balance and went overboard. It is unknown whether or not he was wearing any personal flotation device or work vest. The Coast Guard indicated that despite an exhaustive search they were unable to locate Luckett. The case remains under investigation by the Coast Guard.

A body has been found in the search area for the cruise line passenger who went missing aboard Holland America’s Zaandam cruise ship on Monday. The body was taken to Juneau for positive identification. The individual who went missing, 45-year-old Amber Malkuch of Washington State, is believed to have fallen overboard somewhere between Douglas Island and Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. The woman ordered room service at midnight, when the vessel was near Douglas Island, but was reported missing by a friend at 10 a.m. the next morning when the vessel was at Glacier Bay National Park. The United States Coast Guard was immediately called and dispatched to the area; however the search to find the woman was not immediately successful. The water temperature where the woman would have fallen overboard was 57 degrees at the time of the search. The Coast Guard will continue its search for the woman until a positive identification has been made. The police will review footage from the ship’s security cameras to better understand what occurred. Chief Petty Officer Dana Warr said there were no immediate signs of foul play.
The maritime lawyers at Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen, LLP represent injured mariners throughout the nation in claims involving the Jones Act and General Maritime Law. For any questions regarding maritime law or injuries sustained while working aboard a vessel, contact us at 206.282.3100 or visit our website at www.atsealawyer.com.

The United States Coast Guard is searching for a 31-year old fisherman who fell overboard on Friday, July 31 in Togiak Bay, Alaska. The fisherman, Benjamin Symmes, was working aboard a 28-foot fishing vessel, the Miss Colleen, when he fell overboard approximately one half mile off Anchor Point in Togiak Bay. He was last seen aboard the Miss Colleen at 9:45 p.m. wearing a bright orange rain suit. The Coast Guard was immediately called and dispatched a search party, however was unsuccessful in retrieving Mr. Symmes after searching Friday night and Saturday morning. The Miss Colleen is homeported in Metlakatla, Alaska.
The maritime lawyers at Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen, LLP represent injured mariners throughout the nation in claims involving the Jones Act and General Maritime Law. For any questions regarding maritime law or injuries sustained while working aboard a vessel, contact us at 206.282.3100 or visit our website at atsealawyer.com.

A 45-year old woman has gone missing aboard Holland America’s Zaandam cruise ship on Monday. She is believed to have fallen overboard somewhere between Douglas Island and Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. The woman ordered room service at midnight, when the vessel was near Douglas Island, but was reported missing by a friend at 10 a.m. the next morning when the vessel was at Glacier Bay National Park. The United States Coast Guard was immediately called and dispatched to the area; however the search to find the woman was unsuccessful. The water temperature where the woman would have fallen overboard was 57 degrees at the time of the search. The Zaandam continued on its cruise to its next scheduled destination.
The maritime lawyers at Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen, LLP represent injured mariners throughout the nation in claims involving the Jones Act and General Maritime Law. For any questions regarding maritime law or injuries sustained while working aboard a vessel, contact us at 206.282.3100 or visit our website at atsealawyer.com.

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 overboard. Coast Guard officials report that the man was climbing on crab pots on the vessel’s deck when he fell in. The vessel’s captain immediately stopped and anchored the vessel, however was not able to locate the crabber because he did not resurface. A Good Samaritan who was nearby called the Coast Guard at 9:10 a.m. to report the crabber had fallen overboard. A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City and a rescue boat crew from Station Elizabeth City were immediately dispatched to begin searching for the man. The crabber was not wearing a life jacket and is reportedly unable to swim.
The law office of Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen, LLP strongly urges all mariners to wear the proper safety equipment while working aboard a vessel. This equipment will significantly help save your life should an accident such as this occur. The maritime lawyers at BSTJ, LLP represent injured mariners throughout the nation in claims involving the Jones Act and General Maritime Law. For any questions regarding maritime law or injuries sustained while working aboard a vessel, contact us at 206.282.3100 or visit our website at atsealawyer.com.

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 missing seaman at approximately 9 p.m. and immediately dispatched the proper search and rescue team. The search covered approximately 2,077 square nautical miles for over 50 hours, however was unsuccessful in its efforts.
The maritime lawyers at Beard Stacey Trueb and Jacobsen represent injured mariners throughout the nation in claims involving the Jones Act and General Maritime Law. For any questions regarding maritime law or injuries sustained while working aboard a vessel, contact us at 206.282.3100 or visit our website at atsealawyer.com.

The body of 56-year-old Steve Luhrs was found Monday July 13th after he fell overboard in Togiak Bay, Alaska. The United States Coast Guard reported that Luhrs and his two daughters were pulling up fishing nets around 9:00 a.m. when all three fell off their 18-foot skiff. The two daughters were able to pull themselves up onto the skiff, however Luhrs was unable to re-board the vessel. Numerous Good Samaritan boats and the United States Coast Guard immediately began a search for Luhrs, however were unsuccessful. Luhrs’ body washed up to a nearby beach later that day. He was not wearing a life jacket.
The law office of Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen handles all types of cases involving mariners’ injuries and fatalities while working at sea. Our lawyers have successfully tried and settled cases in states all around the country. If you have been injured while working aboard a vessel, you may want to bring a maritime claim. Please contact the law office of Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen for a free consultation at 206.282.3100 or visit our website at www.atsealawyer.us.

The United States Coast Guard is searching for five people aboard an aircraft that crashed in the Gulf of Mexico last week. The crash occurred on July 8th around 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The airplane was traveling from Collin County Regional Airport in McKinney Texas to Tampa International Airport, but crashed about 20 miles west of Port Richey. The Coast Guard discovered a two-mile debris field within the search field later that day. The identities of the five missing people are unknown.
Injuries sustained and accidents occurring at sea can often result in a maritime claim, including airline cases. The law office of Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen has handled numerous airline and maritime cases in states all around the country. Our lawyers are experienced in all forms of maritime law. With questions about maritime law or for a free consultation regarding an injury sustained while working at sea, please contact us at 206.282.3100 or visit our website at www.atsealawyer.us.

The search for a 38-year-old crewman was called off early Sunday July 5th after a week of searching. The crewman, Nhial Opiew, was last seen aboard the vessel, a 140 foot trawler named the Rebecca Irene, at 4 a.m. Saturday July 4th. The search for Mr. Opiew began around 8:30 a.m. that morning when he did show up for his watch duty. The Rebecca Irene and two Good Samaritan vessels looked for Mr. Opiew for 14 hours that day, covering approximately 100 square miles. The search was, unfortunately, hampered by poor visibility throughout the day and ultimately unsuccessful. The vessel Rebecca Irene is based in Seattle, Washington.
The law office of Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen handles all types of cases involving mariners’ injuries and fatalities while working at sea. Our lawyers have successfully tried and settled cases in states all around the country. If you have been injured while working aboard a vessel, you may want to bring a maritime claim. Please contact the law office of Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen for a free consultation at 206.282.3100 or visit our website at www.atsealawyer.us.