Maritime Injury Law Blog
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Woman loses legs after equipment she was cleaning suddenly powered up
The Coast Guard is investigating an accident on the high seas aboard a Bering Sea fish processor in which a pregnant woman had both legs mangled so badly in a piece of equipment they had to be amputated.
Rose Bard was cleaning a vat used for processing fish paste aboard the Seattle-based Excellence when, inexplicably, power to the augers at the bottom of the container was turned on. The churning screws trapped Bard’s feet and legs, drew them deep into the machinery and mauled them, according to Bard, the owner of the ship and the Coast Guard.
Lt. Court Smith, chief of the Coast Guard’s investigating department in Alaska, said the agency is investigating the accident on the 370-foot boat owned by Supreme Alaska Seafoods Inc.