Coast Guard searches for Missing Teen on Cruise Ship - Bruce O'Krepki

TAMPA - The Coast Guard searched the Gulf of Mexico by boat and from the air for a second day Tuesday for an 18-year-old from Louisiana who fell overboard during a cruise to celebrate his high school graduation. The Coast Guard said Bruce O'Krepki went over the rails of the Carnival Fantasy on Sunday night about 150 miles southwest of Tampa. A Coast Guard cutter and two aircraft searched for him Tuesday, Petty Officer Rob Simpson said. O'Krepki graduated with honors from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Hammond, La., where he ran track and played soccer. He was with about 30 classmates and members of their families on the ship. His uncle Rick O'Krepki said the teen's parents were among the chaperones.

Coast Guard: Be Safe on the Water for Memorial Day

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The U.S. Coast Guard wants to remind everyone on the water to be safe this holiday weekend.In recent weeks, there have been several boat crashes in the area, most notably on Easter Sunday where five people died on the intracoastal. Also, this week's nor'easter has created the potential for dangerous rip currents and unpredictable water conditions. Boaters need to prepare accordingly

Boat Hits Barge near Houma Louisiana - 5 killed

HOUMA, La. -- Five people were killed Thursday morning when their boat hit a barge on the Falgout Canal in Terrebonne Parish, the Coast Guard said.Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries spokesman Thomas Gresham said a recreational boat reportedly hit a barge that was being used as a platform for repairs on a structure. The accident happened Thursday morning on the Falgout Canal between Theriot and Dulac. Falgout Canal connects the Houma Ship Channel to Lake DeCade. Captain Bill Lake of Bayou Guide Service said it's always a busy area, and the Cocodrie-Dularge area is busier than usual because many people are scouting fish for a rodeo that begins at midnight.

Pine Key Boat Explosion - "Bodies All Over the Beach"

PINE KEY - FOX 13 has obtained new photos of a boat explosion just moments after it happened. Tammy Connolly was visiting Pine Key, also known as Beer Can Island, with her husband and a few friends when the boat blew up.“We were on the opposite side of the island when the boat exploded,” she said. “We weren’t there five minutes when we heard this huge explosion. It sounded like a cannon at Gasparilla.” That’s when Connolly grabbed her camera and started taking pictures. “I was hesitant to go over there at first because it was scary,” she said. “There were bodies all over the beach.”

Lady Mary Video

Underwater footage of fishing boat Lady Mary The Coast Guard working with the New Jersey State Police verified the position of the fishing boat Lady Mary, which sank southeast of Cape May on Wednesday, April 29, 2009, with the use of a remotely operated vehicle. The external survey by the ROV shows the Lady Mary generally sitting upright on the bottom. The survey did not reveal any evidence of the remaining missing crew members. (Video provided by the US Coast Guard and New Jersey State Police) Uploaded by ssiditsk on 05/06/09

Lady Mary Sinking - Coast Guard Hearing

Error in recording emerg radio (epirb) hurt search Vessel monitoring system programmer: 2 dozen boats near Lady Mary did not aid sinking vessel.Two dozen boats were in the general area of a stricken scalloping vessel when it sank off Cape May in March, but none came to its aid or joined a later search for survivors, a U.S. fisheries representative told a Coast Guard inquest board today. Testimony: Two boats passed near sinking trawler

CAPE MAY, N.J. - For two to three hours after a scallop boat is believed to have sunk off Cape May, the Coast Guard heard no mayday calls or any other radio reports that something was wrong. That was the testimony Monday from two Coast Guard officers as the agency resumed its hearing into the sinking of the Lady Mary, which went down off Cape May on March 24. Only one the seven crew members survived. The lapse in time from when the boat is believed to have sunk, and when the Coast Guard first heard something was wrong continued to be a main focus of the inquiry. The hearing was suspended in April to allow the ship's captain to hire a lawyer. A Coast Guard inspector says the Lady Mary passed a safety inspection last July. In another article it was said: Two crew members of the doomed scallop boat that sank off the coast last month may have been under the influence of marijuana when the ship went down, killing six of the seven crew members aboard, a witness in the hearing of the fatal sinking testified this morning. Timothy Smith, who died in the sinking, had high levels of the components of marijuana in the blood samples analyzed after the March 24 sinking, said Anthony Costantino, president and CEO of Drug Scan, the Pennsylvania lab hired by the U.S. Coast Guard to analyze the results of the blood tests. Another story goes on: A scallop boat that sank off the coast of Cape May may have tangled its fishing gear with another ship or an obstruction on the bottom of the ocean, the attorney for the ship's owner said yesterday. A cutter with a ROV was used to look at the vessel.

This article indicates that that Owner of the Lady Mary was critical of the Coast Guard Response.

4 men injured (Matthew Dunn, 20, Charles Flores, 19, Michael Morris, 19, Niralkumar Patel, 19, Ocala,) in Boating Accident

Three young Volusia County men and a friend were injured in a boat accident on George's Lake in Putnam County after running into a dock, authorities said.Matthew Dunn, 20, and Charles Flores, 19, both of Ormond Beach; Michael Morris, 19, Daytona Beach; and Niralkumar Patel, 19, Ocala, were taken to Shands Hospital in Gainesville after the accident late Saturday night, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report. Only Dunn was listed at the hospital Monday, and he was in fair condition, hospital officials said. The extent of the other men's injuries was not available. The 19-foot ski boat the men were in ran under the end of a dock on the lake behind a home in the Florahome community, the report states. The accident is still under investigation, wildlife commission spokeswoman Joy Hill said Monday.

Man Is Convicted In Friend's Boating Death - BUI

LARGO | Matthew Aime lost one of his best friends in a boating accident on the night of Nov. 17, 2005. Last week, a jury decided the crash was Aime's fault, finding him guilty of boating under the influence manslaughter and reckless operation of a vessel. Jurors took nearly three hours Thursday to determine Aime, of Tarpon Springs, was drunk when he ran his 14-foot aluminum boat into a dock on the Anclote River, killing 50-year-old Robin Raihan.

Jacksonville, Florida Boat Accident Still Being Investigated

This article indicates that the investigation into the fatal Jacksonville boating accident is still under investigation. This case will likely be under investigation for years by governmental agencies and in discovery in the lawsuits. There has been a lot of comment and judging of the facts in the press and on the blogs. It is hard to piece one of these together only based on what one reads or hears in the press and blogs. The facts and conclusions will come out over time with diligent investigation. Dwayne

Maersk Alabama Crew Member Files Lawsuit Against Ship Owner - Legal principles behind the claim

From the gcaptain:,

Today, in the 270th Judicial District Court in Houston, Harris County, Texas a lawsuit (case 2009-26129) was filed on behalf of Mr. Richard Hicks, a steward on board the Maersk Alabama. The suit alleges that Maesrk was negligent and that the Maersk Alabama was “unseaworthy” as that term is defined by federal maritime law. If you practice maritime law, you knew this was inevitable. We all know the facts as Captain Phillips’ plight was plastered over our televisions over Easter weekend and we all prayed for his safe return. However, it is not Captain Phillips who is suing Maersk. It is, instead, another crewmember who was on board the Maersk.

Clay County updates county’s ordinances regarding boating safety

From the Clay County Sheriff's Office: ATTENTION BOATERS!Clay County has updated and made corrections to the county’s ordinances regarding boating safety. The following is a list of the changes that you, as a boater need to be aware of. These changes will take effect on 12-13-2009 or when posted (as appropriate).

Defense Base Act for the those Suffering Serious Personal Injury

This is a blog post on the Defense Base Act. The Blog has many good articles on the DBA. If you have been injured in Iraq or Afghanistan we can get you assistance on the Defense Base Act. Call us at Clark & Watson for a free consultation.

Jones Act Article

Here is a short blog post on the Jones Act.

This firm like ours at Clark & Watson specializes in Jones Act cases. We have spent our entire careers learning the law and how to protect the rights of seamen who work on tugs, ships and other craft, on the water.

Dwayne Clark and Kristen Watson

How Crowded is Too Crowded on a Boat?? The Answer may not be as Clear as You Think??

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FL -- Pleasure boats have a Coast Guard plate mounted near the helm listing the maximum weight and the maximum number of people that can safely be on board. But the operator of the Jacksonville Boat Club says that information can be misleading. "They have a safety label and a tag on each and every one of the boats, and it's rated for weight," said Ryan Walker. "There is a capacity on there, but it's based on a 120-to-140 pound person. And as you know, most people getting on the boats are a little heavier than that, unless they have kids, and that kind of stuff." Walker demonstrated that point with thirteen adults and one infant boarding a boat similar to the one that had fourteen aboard when it crashed in Palm Valley, killing five people. "The legal capacity of the boat sometimes far exceeds what's common sense-wise," said Walker, pointing out the demonstration of fourteen people on his 23-foot boat.

Re-posted by Jacksonville Florida Maritime Lawyers / Clark & Watson PA

Mix of alcohol, boating is a concern in Jacksonville area

Lt. John Convoy looked outside Friday morning and saw a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky."That means it's going to be a busy weekend for us," said Convoy, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer who would be patrolling Jacksonville's waterways this weekend. With the weather warming and many sunny weekends ahead, Fish and Wildlife will be busy looking for boaters who are driving while intoxicated. The issue gained attention on Easter when a 22-foot boat crashed into an Intracoastal Waterway construction site. Five people were killed and nine were injured. The attorney representing three of the victims said the driver of the vessel, who was killed, wasn't intoxicated but alcohol was found on the boat.

Reposted by Jacksonville Florida Maritime Lawyers / Clark & Watson PA