A tugboat worker lost his life in an accident on the Hackensack River on Sunday, December 27, 2009.
Fifty-year-old Richard Young of Queens, New York was crushed to death while working on board a Moran Towing Corporation tugboat, the Turecamo Girls. He became entangled in the mooring lines, or hawsers, that were being used to tow another vessel.
Young was adjusting the lines at the rear of the boat when the accident happened. A shipmate went back to check on him and found Young tangled in the lines. Crew members of the Turecamo Girls attempted to provide first aid, but Young could not be revived. The accident is under investigation.
Like many seamen, tugboat workers are at high risk for injury and death. Not only do they have to worry about slippery decks and falling overboard, but mooring lines are a constant danger. When used for towing, mooring lines are under large amounts of strain; if they snap, limbs can be broken, crushed or torn off. When there is enough tension, they can even kill a seaman.
Tugboat workers and other maritime workers are protected under federal maritime law and the Jones Act. If a Jones Act seaman is injured or killed while on the job, they or their family may be eligible for compensation. For more information, contact a Louisiana maritime injury lawyer at The Young Firm.
