Mississippi River Barge Accident Dumps 200,000 Gallons of Oil
A Mississippi River barge accident that spilled over 200,000 gallons of oil into the river has ended up in court. Coast Guard investigations found that the towboat pilot on duty during the barge crash was improperly licensed and overworked when the accident occurred. The barge company was brought to court in a barge accident lawsuit, however, the tug pilot alleges faulty products caused the crash.
The tug pilot testified that radar and steering lever problems caused the crash. Specifically, he alleged these problems drew his tug into the path of the tanker he ultimately collided into. The allegedly malfunctioning radar was blamed for distracting the tug pilot from realizing his vessel was veering towards the tanker ship. The tug pilot claims after he realized he was headed for disaster, the steering wheel jammed and left him unable to change directions.
Barge accidents typically occur when barges are accidentally freed from tugboats, as opposed to tugboats being led in the wrong direction like this case. When barges are freed from tugboats, these large sea vessels are left open to veer into other sea vessels or static objects. Such barge accidents often cause severe injury and even death. It is also common to see barge employees injured in the course of employment aboard sea vessels.
Page Cagle is a St. Louis Injury Law Firm that aggressively represents people injured in maritime claims and employees injured through the course of barge work in Jones Act claims. For a free consultation, call us directly at 314.322.8515 or toll free at 1.800.500.INJURY (4658). You pay nothing unless you recover. You can also email me at john@pagecagle.com or visit www.BargeAccidentLawGroup.com for more information.
