Marine collisions are a complicated area of law, but that doesn’t mean that families cannot receive compensation if they’ve had a loved one injured or killed while serving on a vessel. The site Workboat talks about a lawsuit filed by a family after a crash happened recently on the Mississippi River near New Orleans.
On January 26, the RC Creppel was struck by the Cooperative Spirit. Both vessels were large tugboats. The RC Creppel was pushing barges carrying sulfuric acid, one of which leaked after the accident. The RC Creppel sank due to the collision and four crewmembers went overboard. One was found by a passing vessel and rescued, but a search by the Coast Guard did not turn up the missing people.
In response to the accident and the failed search, the family of one of the missing crewmembers has filed a lawsuit against the owners and operators of the Cooperative Spirit, ARTCO and Elite Towing. The missing people are now presumed dead.
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We hope that the family is able to get the answers they need to find closure after this incident, and that they receive substantial compensation. By all accounts, the Cooperative Spirit is the vessel that was at fault. Additionally, the Mississippi River is dangerous for swimming. There are many strong currents and undertows that can make people drown and carry them far from where they fell. The Coast Guard searched over 800 nautical miles of the river before giving up the search.
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