Jones Act Maritime Lawyer : Houston Jones Act & Maritime Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Arnold & Itkin Law Firm : Offshore Injury, Maritime Law : Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida

A maritime accident involving a power boat with 14 people on board and a docked tugboat on the Intercoastal Waterway in St. John's County, Florida killed five people and left seven with serious injuries. The accident occurred 25 miles southeast of Jacksonville on Sunday evening.

The power boat was leaving the marina when it slammed into the tugboat. Rescue efforts were initially hampered due to ongoing construction work at the dock. Rescuers had to lay plywood sheets out to get to the victims, who were all on the power boat. The tugboat, which was registered to a St. Augustine company, F & A enterprises, was empty at the time. Three of the people injured in the maritime accident were said to be in critical condition.

Investigators are looking into a number of factors that may have caused the accident, including the speed of the power boat, lighting conditions, and whether people on the power boat were drinking at the time of the crash. The driver of the boat is said to be one of those who survived the boat accident and officials have confirmed that they will conduct toxicology tests on the driver. 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced a criminal investigation into the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also announced that it will be conducting an investigation into the boat accident. Normally, the NTSB does not involve itself in boat accidents, but due to the serious injuries and multiple fatalities here, the board has decided this maritime accident merits an investigation.

Maritime Accident Claims

Maritime workers injured in an accident with another vessel, whether it is a pleasure craft or a Jones Act vessel engaged in commercial activities, may be entitled to compensation. 

If you believe you have been injured in a maritime accident, a maritime attorney can help answer any questions you may have regarding compensation. Contact an experienced maritime lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free evaluation of your claim.

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A Port of Tampa maritime accident involving a tugboat pulling a barge and a moored tug, resulted in approximately 1,000 gallons of waste oil spilling into the port.

According to reports, the accident occurred when the tugboat, Katherine Ann, was pushing a barge and collided with the tug, Liberty, which was moored at the dock at Causeway Boulevard. The accident led to 1,000 gallons of oil spilling into the water. The Coast Guard is supervising cleanup operations and is conducting an investigation into the collision. The company that owns one of the boats, Diversified Environmental Services, is located near the dock and was able to respond to the crisis immediately. The quick response helped prevent damage to marine life and the environment. No injuries were reported in the collision.

For maritime workers and Florida maritime officials, oil spills likely bring back memories of the Tampa Bay oil spill of 1993, in which 300,000 gallons of oil and 33,000 gallons of jet fuel spilled into the water. That oil spill was also the result of a collision and involved three vessels at the entrance of Tampa Bay. One of the vessels was carrying close to 8 million gallons of diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline. Upon colliding, a fire quickly broke out; it took firefighting teams more than 16 hours to control the inferno. No one was injured in the accident, it was, however, responsible for Tampa Bay's largest oil spill to date. The environmental damage from that accident was fairly limited, considering the size of the spill. The fact that just months before the spill, emergency plans for oil spill disasters were put into place helped control the damage.

Maritime collisions can be the result of various factors, including:

• negligence on the part of crew
• failure of port authorities
• weather conditions

In recent years, some high profile maritime collisions have been linked to crew failure. The 2007 Cosco Busan accident with the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge was the result of a medically unfit pilot and lack of communication between he and his captain. Also, the 2008 collision of the of the tugboat, Mel Oliver, and the oil tanker, Tintomara, was ultimately attributed to a captain who abandoned ship a few days before the accident, leaving the tugboat to be piloted by an apprentice mate who was not equipped for the task.

Maritime Accident Claims

Maritime accidents, as the above incidents show, are not always the result of employer errors, but can also be caused by the incompetence, negligence, and failure of crew members. However, even if an accident is caused by a co-worker's negligence, the employer is still responsible for any injuries that result. Injured workers in such cases are eligible for all the benefits promised to them under the Jones Act or other maritime laws. It is important that workers be aware of their rights before they settle for compensation. A maritime attorney can help you do just that.

If you've been injured in a maritime accident, contact a maritime lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free evaluation of your claim.

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A longshore worker was killed on the job while transporting cargo in Jacksonville, Florida. Investigations into the accident are being conducted by both Jacksonville police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

According to a representative of the Jacksonville Port Authority, 51-year-old Gregory Daise, an employee of Coastal Maritime Stevedoring, was killed during vessel cargo operations on February 19th. The events leading up to and causes of his death are being investigated by Jacksonville police and OSHA. There is currently no additional information available on the details of the accident. Coastal Maritime Stevedoring LLC is a stevedoring company based in Jacksonville, Florida; the company provides loading and unloading services for various kinds of cargo, in addition to warehouse and marine terminal management. The company is capable of handling over sized and unusual cargo, including: military cargo, water crafts, locomotives, cranes and construction machinery. Daise was apparently involved in transporting cargo for Coastal Maritime at the time of the accident.

Maritime workers who perform essential activities related to the industry such as loading and unloading of cargo and repairs of equipment and machinery on any kind of maritime vessel, including platforms, rigs and ships are covered under a maritime law called the Longshore and Harbor Worker's Compensation Act. These employees are not technically Jones Act seaman because their work does not involve being stationed on navigable waters for long periods of time and they do not fulfill the criteria mentioned in the Jones Act. Often, longshore workers perform loading and unloading operations in the port and injuries received during such activities qualify for compensation under LHWCA laws. Longshore benefits cover injured workers as well as deaths. In case of death workers' dependents are eligible for benefits under the LHWCA.

Maritime Accident

Our team of Florida maritime attorneys at Arnold & Itkin LLP have represented hundreds of longshore workers who have been injured on the job. We have helped many recover physically, emotionally and financially from devastating accident.

If you've been injured in a maritime accident, contact a maritime injury attorney at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free evaluation of your case.

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As reported in Tallahassee Democrat in Be cautious on the waters, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) urges boaters to practice cautious behavior while boating on July 4th.  FWC especially advises boaters to wear life jackets all the time while boating.

According to statistics, boating accidents are usually caused by the operator's inattentiveness. Most boating accident fatalities are men, and most accidents involve a single vessel. The FWC's Boating and Waterways Section reports 27 fatalities so far this year. Eighteen of these deaths were attributed to drowning, and many could have been prevented had the victim been wearing a life jacket.

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The Miami Herald reports that more than 100 Fort Lauderdale homeowners and condo associations met recently to plan their attack on a proposed offshore gas pipeline project near Port Everglades, Florida.

The issue surrounds a plan by Suez Energy North America, based in Houston, Texas, to build two liquefied natural gas ports 10 miles off the coast of Port Everglades.

The $1 billion project, the Calypso Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater port, would allow special tankers to moor 10 miles offshore, convert liquefied gas into natural gas, and then pump the vaporized product through a buried underwater pipeline that connects into Port Everglades.

Residents and community activists argue that the deep-water project poses an unacceptable hazard to their communities in the case of an accident.

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