On November 26th, 2016 the Coast Guard rescued an injured crew member more than 170 miles offshore from the Columbia River. The 23-year-old man was aboard the 617-foot Global Saikai, which had left Longview, WA for Kashima, Japan carrying a load of timber. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received the…
Maritime Injury Law Blog
Whatcom County Man Dies in Scuba Diving Accident
Hank William Hoskins Sr. of Whatcom County died on October 26, 2016, after a scuba diving accident at Gooseberry Point near Sucia Island. According to Bellingham Fire Department Assistant Chief Bill Hewett, the diver’s oxygen supply was cut off due to an apparent equipment malfunction at approximately 4 p.m. It…
Pacific Rim Sinks Outside Westport Marina
On October 23, 2016, at 3:51 AM, Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a mayday call. It was Michael Carroll, 70-year-old captain of the 60-foot fishing vessel Pacific Rim, which had begun to sink under him outside the Westport Marina. If this vessel name sounds familiar, it’s because back in…
Coast Guard Rescues 40 Port Angeles Middle School Students
Students and chaperones from Stevens Middle School in Port Angeles, Washington were rescued from Camp David Jr. on Crescent Lake by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday, October 14th. According to the Coast Guard, Sector Puget Sound received a call at approximately 3:45 p.m. reporting that 40 kids and 6…
Five Fishermen Rescued Near Grays Harbor, Washington
Five fishermen were rescued by the US Coast Guard on Friday, October 7th, 2016 when a 56-foot commercial fishing vessel began taking on water. The Taplow was about 19 miles southwest of Grays Harbor, Washington when the Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received the distress call that the vessel was taking…
Coast Guard Rescues Two Sailors South of Cold Bay, Alaska
Two sailors arrived in Kodiak on Wednesday, September 28th, 2016 seeking medical treatment due to the sinking of the sailboat Rafiki. The men were sailing 230 miles south of Cold Bay, in 7 mph winds and 6-foot seas, when the engine compartment began to fill with water. They contacted Coast…
Tugboat Sinks in Columbia River
The Oregon State Department of Environmental Quality and the US Coast Guard responded to an 82-foot sunken tug at 8:49pm on the evening of Sunday, September 25th. The Earnest, a wooden-hulled vessel, sank on the Columbia River in Goble, OR. The incident was reported via the National Response Center. Divers…
Student Diver Rescued Near Seacrest Park Has Died, West Seattle, WA
The 22-year-old student diver who was rescued near Seacrest Park in West Seattle on August 28th, has died. The police report states that visibility underwater was very poor. Divers were signaled to surface, and all three divers in the class gave a “thumbs up” sign, indicating that they understood. However,…
Student Diver in Critical Condition Rescued off Alki Beach, West Seattle, WA
A 20-year old student diver in critical condition was rescued off Alki Beach in West Seattle on August 28, 2016. According to Seattle Fire Department (SFD) Captain Shata Stephenson, the diver “was within her first five dives.” An initial investigation indicates that she was paired with a partner and they…
Worker Rescued from Overturned Loader at Port of Seattle Waterfront
At around 10:30 a.m. at Terminal 46 on Alaskan Way South, a loader overturned, trapping the 50-year-old driver inside the cab. Seattle Fire Department responded by 11:00 a.m. and after about 15 minutes, the rescue was successful. SFD reported that the man suffered minor injuries and was taken to Harborview…