One man was killed and two others were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after a barge broke in half and sank in Florida’s Fort Pierce Inlet on Tuesday.
The 100-foot barge started taking on water offshore while being towed from Key Biscayne to Georgia by a 54-foot Gulfstream. The vessel diverted into the closest inlet, according to Amanda Phillips, spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission..
“Unfortunately, they came in at a bad time. It was outgoing tide and about in the middle of the inlet the barge took on so much water that one of the pumps stopped and the barge sunk,” Phillips said. She said the vessel had several holes in it and was “not very seaworthy.”
Three people and a dog were aboard the barge, one of whom was pulled under as the vessel sank. The Coast Guard rescued the two other men and dog, and the operator of the boat that towed the barge was not injured.
The barge wreckage is in about 40 foot of water in the inlet, with wreckage possibly as close as 10 feet under the surface. Officials have closed the highly trafficked inlet to through traffic due to safety concerns and have hired an international marine salvage firm to being removing the sunken barge.
Fort Lauderdale-based Resolve Marine Group also assisted in the recovery of the cruise ship Costa Concordia after it sank off the Italian coast in 2012.
Under the Jones Act, barge owners have an obligation to provide a safe and secure vessel, and workers injured on an unstable or poorly maintained barge may have grounds to file a Jones Act unseaworthiness claim or a general maritime lawsuit.
“SMSH recently concluded a case wherein a barge capsized in the Delaware River, killing a deckhand,” said maritime lawyer Matthew Shaffer. “These incidents underscore the very dangerous conditions under which seaman must work.”
The maritime law firm of Maintenance and Cure helps maritime workers who have been injured in U.S. waters and around the world. Our attorneys have represented hundreds of seamen in unseaworthiness claims and recovered substantial compensation for our clients.
Were you injured or a loved one killed because of unsafe work conditions on a barge or other vessel? Contact maritime attorney Matthew Shaffer and today to schedule a free consultation.
