The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search last week for a fisherman who fell overboard from the 39-foot F/V ELEANOR S on the morning of July 4. The victim, identified as 63-year-old Richard Boyce of Haines, was attempting to remove fishing gear stuck in the vessel’s propeller when he fell overboard south of Berners Bay. According to Coast Guard reports, he was wearing rain gear but no flotation device. The search effort covered 60 square miles and involved a 25-foot Coast Guard response boat, a Jayhawk helicopter and several Good Samaritan fishing vessels. The water temperature was reportedly 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
When a commercial fisherman drowns at sea, his or her family may be entitled to compensation for their loss. A maritime attorney helps the family determine whether their loved one’s death was caused by someone else’s negligence and/or the vessel’s unseaworthiness, and then fights to hold all responsible parties accountable.
If you are injured in a fishing accident or your loved one is killed in one, the fishing company and its attorneys will do all they can to limit the company’s liability. You need your own attorney who will investigate the accident on your behalf and work hard to ensure you receive the full amount of compensation to which you are entitled. But you must act quickly — maritime law imposes time limits on when you can seek damages for maritime injuries and deaths.
Did your loved one die in a commercial fishing accident? Are you recovering from a fishing injury? Contact a Boston maritime attorney today to learn about the types of compensation available to fishing accident victims and their families.
Latti Associates LLC – Boston maritime trial lawyers