On February 7, a barge sunk into the Damariscotta River leading to an oil spill, according to WCSH NBC 6 in Portland, Maine. The accident happened near an aquaculture farm in the village of Walpole, Maine around 8 a.m. No one was reported to have been injured in the accident.
After the accident, the barge sunk into the river and began leaking oil. A Lincoln County Hazmat team was called in to contain the oil spill. The team reported that due to the lack of wind and the tide, the oil was largely contained to the area around the aquaculture farm’s dock.
The hazmat team installed booms around the barge and further upriver to protect the aquaculture farm. The farm cultivates oysters, pumping ten thousand gallons of water from the river into holding tanks, which are used to grow 30 million oysters from the egg stage.
As of this report, the cause of the oil leak was still under investigation and no charges had yet been filed.
Lawyers That Handle Tug and Barge Accidents
As nationwide maritime trial lawyer David Anderson explains in the video above, for a seaman to do his job, all parts of the vessel must be safe.
An unsafe vessel is considered unseaworthy, and regardless of whether the owner knew about it or not, he or she is responsible for the condition of the ship. Therefore, if maritime workers, such as merchant seamen, commercial fishermen or longshoremen, are injured because a vessel was unsafe, under the law of unseaworthiness they are entitled to the same set of recovery they would get under the Jones Act.
At Latti Associates LLC, our attorneys care about everyone they represent and will fight relentlessly to hold those at fault for your pain and suffering accountable and secure the just compensation you and your family needs, including past and future lost wages and medical bills. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.
Latti Associates’s Little Extra: According to DoSomething.org, responders to the BP Oil Spill used 5.5 million feet of boom, a barrier placed in water to collect and absorb oil.
Latti Associates LLC – Nationwide Maritime Attorneys
Source: http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-bp-oil-spill