Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1116182.015 - River Construction Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:30 a.m. on December 30, 2015, three employees were tasked with using a crew boat to travel from the west bank to the east bank of the Mississippi River to remove chains from a Yokohama ship fender and use a crane barge to off load it for a truck to pick up. All of the employees were wearing life vests. It was raining, the river current was turbulent, and the water was high. These conditions caused difficulty navigating the boat and the operator lost control of the boat after a momentary engine stall. The boat hit a barge and immediately turned downward, taking on water, and ultimately capsizing. Employee #1, who was standing on the back of the boat, jumped off of the boat and into the river. Employees #2 and #3, who were located in the cabin of the boat, escaped from the cabin after capsizing and swam to the surface. Employees #2 and #3 surfaced and were able to grab hold of the boat, while Employee #1 was pulled away by the current of the river and was swimming toward the river bank. On January 24, 2016 Employee #1 was found dead.

Keywords: Drowning, Ship