The Coast Guard rescued four crewmen from a survival raft about 13 nautical miles west of Cape Ommaney, Alaska. Their fishing vessel the 53 foot Julia Breeze was taking on water and they were forced to abandon ship.
Situations like this could easily be injurious to health or prove fatal. In this case the crew appear to be unharmed, however, a full inquiry by experienced maritime injury attorneys can determine if there is compensation due for the impact of the hazardous and distressing situation they faced abandoning ship in a remote location uncertain of rescue, but very certain of the dangers they were facing.
The helicopter crew found them about an hour later and hoisted all four survivors and transported them to Air Station Sitka where they were met by local EMS. All four people were reported to be in stable condition.
The VHF channel 16 distress call from the crew of the 53-foot fishing vessel Julia Breeze at approximately 10:40 p.m. The crew reported they were taking on water and abandoning ship near Cape Ommaney. The rescue helicopter launched about five minutes later at approximately 10:45 p.m. and arrived on scene at approximately 11:40 p.m. They located a debris field in the water and all crew people wearing survival suits in a survival raft.
Nicholas Meyer, Sector Juneau command duty officer said, “Their EPIRB confirmed their distress location allowing our aircrew’s timely response, and the survival suits and raft greatly contributed to their safety.”