The Coast Guard is continuing its investigations into the water taxi accident in Seattle this week, in which a water taxi crashed into a pier, injuring at least seven people. So far, it doesn’t seem like there are any leads to work with. A complete investigation into the accident could take up to six months.
The water taxi accident occurred on Sunday, when the water taxi stuck the landing at Pier 50. There were 73 passengers and four crew members on board the water taxi. At least seven people were injured in the crash. The water taxi, the Rachel Marie, had been leased by Kings County from a marine services company.
Officials are looking at the possibility that a mechanical problem may have prevented the water taxi from stopping. However, the water taxi had just undergone a preventive maintenance check on Wednesday, just four days before the crash. From that day, till the accident on Sunday, there were reportedly no mechanical problems with the watercraft.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities in this accident. A crash like this could easily have led to fatalities. The Coast Guard is not leaving any stone unturned or lead unexplored in its investigation into the crash. At this point, just about every possible factor, from the competence of the taxi operator to mechanical malfunctioning, would be on the table.
The maritime attorneys at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. represent workers injured in accidents on offshore rigs, oil rigs, commercial fishing vessels, cruise lines, barges and boats and other maritime accidents in Texas and nationwide.
