Lever & Ecker, PLLC July 26, 2016 General
Four months after a tugboat collided with a construction barge under the Tappen Zee Bridge, the defendants named in several lawsuits have announced that they are seeking to limit their liability.
The crash, which occurred on March 12, 2016, took the lives of three men: Paul Amon, Timothy Conklin, and HarryHernandez. The boat which sunk, the Specialist, was working with two other tug boats called the Realist and the Trevor to pull a crane from Albany to Jersey City.
At the time of the accident, the captain of the Specialist, Paul Crowley, was actually on board the Realist. Initially, the captain of the Realist, James Morrison, told investigators that he had requested Crowley take over the operation of his vessel because he had worked a six-hour watch and needed a break. This meant that Paul Amon was left in charge of the Specialist – after a difficult 24 hours of navigating fog and forceful currents.
The crash took place around 5 a.m. and according to witnesses, Amon was actually able to make it out of the tugboat and onto the barge. However, he went back to the sinking ship to try and help his crew mates and never made it back out.
When investigators first arrived on the scene, Morrison informed them that the only people on his ship other than himself were Crowley and a few other crew members. But recently, new details have emerged stating that the captain actually also had his girlfriend on board. Some have speculated that he had pulled the other captain onto his ship so that he could spend time with her rather than steer the ship.
The families of the three men who died have filed lawsuits against several parties, including the owners of the tugboat, the constructors, and a consortium member.
For men and women who work on or near the water and are injured, workers’ compensation may not be available. What determines this is whether or not they are classified as a “seaman”. Anyone who is considered a seaman is covered under the Jones Act.
A seaman is defined as anyone who spends their working hours as a member of a crew on a ship or a boat that is in use or, “in navigation”. If injured on the job, these hardworking men and women are not eligible for workers’ compensation but are instead able to three separate types of compensation for their injuries.
For anyone who is not considered a seaman, the Longshore Act exists. This act is actually very much like standard workers’ compensation.
The family members who have chosen to pursue legal action against the three defendants have filed a wrongful death lawsuit. By suing the defendants, they may be able to obtain monetary compensation for:
The amount of money awarded to the plaintiffs can vary widely from case to case depending on many factors. If you have lost a loved one due to a workplace accident, contact an attorney to learn more about what your legal options are.