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Crane Operator Injured in Barge Accident on Muskegon Lake
by Matthew D. Shaffer on June 06, 2011
A crane operator was fortunate to escape without serious injuries in an accident on a barge on Muskegon Lake, Michigan. The crane tipped over, trapping the operator underneath. The 38-year-old operator had been using the crane for lifting when it suddenly tipped over. A steel beam crashed through the cabin of the crane, trapping the operator ...
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Guilty Plea in Barge Accident Case
by Matthew D. Shaffer on August 17, 2011
Tug boat pilot, Matthew Devlin, pled guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge on Monday, August 1, 2011. Two tourists died from the accident on July 7, 2010, when a barge crashed into a duck boat that was stalled in the Delaware River. The operator did not receive notice that the duck boat was stopped in his path because he had turned his ...
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Offshore Safety Concerns over North Sea Oil Rigs
by Dennis M. McElwee on September 15, 2011
Offshore safety regulators in the UK are concerned about deteriorating equipment on oil rig in the North Sea after a leak from a Shell pipeline just off Aberdeen. According to documents obtained by an offshore workers union, the Health and Safety Executive is concerned about the safety of these rigs. The Health and Safety Executive has sent no...
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OSHA Cites Barge Company In Worker Deaths
by Matthew D. Shaffer on October 03, 2011
A local barge company has been cited for 40 safety violations following an April flash fire that left two employees dead at its Freeport facility. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration cited Texas Barge & Boat Inc. with one willful and 39 serious violations, as well as penalties of about $220,000, after inspectors investigated the i...
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What Is The Jones Act And Who Can Claim For Injuries Under It
by Dennis M. McElwee on October 13, 2011
Before the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, seamen were subject to ill treatment, including abuse and atrocious working conditions. They had no legal protection against their employers, and injuries, illness or death at sea were just considered occupational hazards. Part of that 1920 law, the Jones Act, changed those circumstances, giving seamen sp...
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LHWCA Claim Rejected Due to Insufficient Evidence
by Dennis M. McElwee on December 28, 2011
A longshore worker who filed a claim under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act claiming negligence has had his claim rejected due to insufficient evidence. The man, who worked for a stevedoring company, alleged that he suffered injuries when he fell from a rope ladder on a vessel. According to his claim, as he was going down the...
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Pilot in Pennsylvania Tugboat-Tourist Boat Accident Sentenced to One Year in Prison
by Matthew D. Shaffer on January 10, 2012
The pilot at the helm of a tugboat-barge formation that crashed into a Ride-the-Ducks amphibious tourist boat in the Delaware River last year killing two Hungarian tourists, has been sentenced to one year in prison. An investigation report by the National Transportation Safety Board had found that the pilot, Matthew Devlin had been distracted b...
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Woman Suffers Serious Injuries in Towboat Accident on Missouri River
by Dennis M. McElwee on January 11, 2012
A woman on a towboat suffered serious injuries last week when part of her clothing got snagged in engine room equipment. The accident occurred on a towboat on the Missouri River. The 47-year-old woman was apparently working in the engine room on a barge when part of her shirt got caught in the drive shaft of the engine room's machinery. The wom...
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Barge Accident on Mississippi River Leads to Oil Spill
by Dennis M. McElwee on March 08, 2012
A maritime accident involving two barges on the Mississippi River led to an oil spill, and caused a portion of the river to be closed down recently. The accident occurred on the Mississippi River about 50 miles from New Orleans. The accident involved a construction barge that was being towed by the tugboat Alydar and the tank barge, which was b...
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Ship Building Company Cited for Safety Violations
by Dennis M. McElwee on May 10, 2012
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a shipbuilder for safety violations that contributed to the death of one worker last August. The company Jeffboat LLC is one of the country's largest inland ship builders. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched inspections of the company's barge building facilities,...
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Tugboat Pilot Says He Could Have Avoided Crash
by Matthew D. Shaffer on May 14, 2012
A tugboat pilot convicted in the July 2010 crash of a barge and tour boat that left two Hungarian tourists dead said in a deposition that the collision could have been avoided if he had been at his post. Matt Devlin, who is serving a one-year sentence for the maritime equivalent of involuntary manslaughter, was on a cellphone for a family emerg...
