The Coast Guard performed a medevac evacuation of a seriously injured crew member from the 169ft fishing vessel F/V Constellation near St. Paul, Alaska. The crew member was injured when a hatch closed on him.
A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted the crewman from the 169-foot fishing vessel Constellation at about 9:30 a.m., just outside St. Paul Harbor. The Coast Guard placed the man in the care of St. Paul Health Center staff, who later transferred him to a Guardian Flight aircraft crew that flew him to Anchorage for further care.
The emergency call for the medevac came from Guardian’s master at 7:44 p.m. Sunday, reporting the crew member had sustained a serious injury to his arm after a hatch closed on it. On-scene conditions at the time of the initial request included 44-mph wind gusts and 10-foot seas.
Even routine jobs are not necessarily safe in the best of conditions. A slip, fall, or heavy equipment can cause significant injury with loss of income, livelihood, and sometimes even life. An experienced attorney can determine if there is fault involved and if the injured crewman is due compensation to cover living expenses until he is able to return to work, or compensation if he is never able to return to work.