Boat on the sea
Published on:

by

The United States District Court for the State of Massachusetts has awarded a sailor $150,000 in damages for past and future pain and suffering, as well as loss of the enjoyment of life, after losing her full sense of smell and taste following a two-vessel collision.

39-year-old Julianne Marie Evans took part in a sailing competition when she sustained her injury. The injury occurred while Evans’ vessel was approaching a buoy alongside another vessel, controlled by Donncha Kiely. In attempting to turn her vessel around the buoy, Kiely swung her boom from the port side to starboard side of her vessel. Unfortunately, Evans was next to the starboard aft corner of Kiely’s vessel. In swinging her boom from port to starboard, Kiely made her boom strike Evans in the neck, causing her to fall forward into the cockpit. Evans went in and out of consciousness for approximately ten minutes.

Evans then visited different doctors to assess her injuries. As these doctors appointments continued, Evans began to lose her sense of smell and taste. She visited Dr. Norman Mann of the University of Connecticut, where she underwent a series of tests related to taste and smell. After a three day test period she received a diagnosis of a permanent loss of taste and smell.

Continue reading
Published on:

by

The United States Coast Guard assisted five people on board a sinking 35-foot Berthum commercial fishing vessel 30 miles southeast of Port Aransas on Wednesday. A distress call came in at 4:18 p.m. that a vessel was taking on water and needed immediate assistance. The Coast Guard immediately dispatched a helicopter crew and 45-foot rescue boat to the scene. The helicopter crew arrived to find a Good Samaritan vessel assisting the crew bailing water overboard with buckets. The helicopter lowered a dewatering pump to the vessel, allowing it to remain afloat until the rescue boat arrived. Upon arriving at the scene, the Coast Guard rescue boat found a hole that was two inches in diameter in the floor of the engine room. The rescue crew patched up the vessel and escorted it back to port. No injuries were reported.
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.

Published on:

by

The United States Coast Guard and a Good Samaritan vessel responded to a distress call from a sinking ship three miles off the coast of Jacksonville on Friday. The distress call was made by the two fishermen aboard the Yvonne, a 66-foot fishing boat, at approximately 2:06 a.m. The Coast Guard was immediately dispatched where, with the help of the Good Samaritan vessel Shenandoah, both individuals aboard the vessel were safely rescued. The mariners aboard the Yvonne were transported to local medical personnel once they arrived back to land.
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.

Published on:

by

The United States Coast Guard rescued two Canadians from the Detroit River after the three-person kayak had capsized. The capsizing occurred approximately one mile from Belle Isle, Michigan around 6:15 Thursday July 16th. The Coast Guard arrived on the scene within minutes of receiving the distress call to find a Good Samaritan rescuing the third individual aboard the kayak. The Coast Guard boat crew brought the two remaining individuals onboard. The three were taken to a nearby marina before being transferred to emergency medical services. No injuries were reported. Luckily, all three were wearing life jackets.
The law office of Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobsen, PLLC would like to urge all those on water, either for work or pleasure, to wear a life jacket. 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.

Published on:

by

A seaman injured in a two vessel collision was able to have a Louisiana Court invalidate his release clause and therefore bring the fishing company to trial after the vessel’s doctor’s diagnosis was incorrect.

Clifton Lewis was a mate aboard one of the vessels in the collision. Upon impact, he fell against a table where he hit his left side. Lewis was knocked down again by fellow seamen “stampeding for the exit.” Lewis complained of pain shortly thereafter and went ashore to be looked at by an orthopedic surgeon the fishing company hired. The doctor, Dr. Duval, concluded that Lewis sustained “no serious injuries, only some soreness.”

The fishing company, Omega, then hired an attorney, Alan Breaud, to settle potential injury claims that would arise from the collision. Breaud met with Lewis to explain his rights and offer a release of potential claims for $500. Lewis accepted this offer based on Dr. Duval’s assessment that his leg and side “won’t give Lewis any permanent problems.”

Continue reading
Published on:

by

Three fishermen were saved by the United States Coast Guard after their vessel capsized three miles southeast of Hilo. The fishermen were, luckily, able to retrieve a working cell phone from the vessel and hail a distress call to 911 around 1 a.m. on Wednesday July 15th. Two Coast Guard air crews were immediately dispatched to the location. By the time the fishermen were found, they had drifted 12 miles south of Hilo. All three were safely retrieved and transferred to a Hawaii county emergency medical service team, where they were reported to be in good condition. Charles Turner, a Coast Guard search and rescue coordinator, revealed how lucky it was to reach them via cell phone. “It [the cell phone] probably saved their lives… this case could have turned out a lot worse.”
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.

Published on:

by

A Washington skipper has died resulting from injuries sustained aboard a fishing vessel last week. The vessel was fishing 15 miles west of Gray’s Harbor when the captain, 50-year-old Keenan Stearns of South Bend, Washington, became entangled in fishing gear. The crew was not able to free him. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries later that day. Stearns was the skipper for the 73-foot commercial fishing vessel called “Swell Rider.”
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.

Published on:

by

A Vermont woman is dead after falling out of her canoe while fishing on Sunday. 41-year-old Kelly Bruner fell out of her canoe while trying to retrieve a fishing pole she dropped in the water. Her friend in the boat, Ken Palmer, attempted to bring her back aboard the canoe by throwing her flotation devices and telling her to grab onto the oars, however was unsuccessful. Bruner then became tangled in the fishing line and was unable to get back into the canoe. She was found dead in the river later that day.
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.

Published on:

by

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.

Published on:

by

One boater was killed following an allision between a 23 foot pleasure vessel and the Jekyll Creek jetties around Brunswick, Georgia early Sunday morning. The United States Coast Guard responded to a distress call at 4:15 a.m. Sunday morning and helped rescue two of the boaters on board the vessel. A Good Samaritan in the area rescued a third boater who was clinging to the sinking vessel. The identities of the deceased and injured have not been released following proper notification of family members.
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.

Contact Information
Stacey & Jacobsen, PLLC Seattle, Washington
4039 21st Ave W. #401
Seattle, WA 98199
Phone: 206-282-3100 Toll Free: 877-332-5529 Fax: 206-282-1149
Stacey & Jacobsen, PLLC Anchorage, Alaska
205 E Benson Blvd #321
Anchorage, AK 99503
Phone: 907-751-2588 Toll Free: 877-332-5529

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2025, Stacey & Jacobsen, PLLC
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design