Did fishing boat owners cover up employee’s death?

The family of a crewmember who died on a fishing boat in the Bering Sea claims the company lied to them about the cause of death.

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by the estate of Russell “Rusty” Jennings states that a representative of Aleutian Spray Fisheries told the family that Jennings’ body was found unconscious on the deck next to a conveyor belt on September 7, 2010. The representative claimed that Jennings ended up dying from natural causes.

At first the family believed the company’s account, according to a story in Seattle PI.com. In fact, they sent thank you e-mails to the company for the care they had provided.

Thus, they were horrified to hear from a funeral home employee that the 39-year-old Michigan man had not died from natural causes, but had been asphyxiated in the vessel’s freezer.

A police report stated that Jennings was discovered dead in the freezer of the Siberian Sea shortly before 5 a.m.  According to the suit, he got caught in a conveyor belt and dragged through a bulkhead into a narrow chute.  When crewmembers arrived they found the belt had been stopped by Jennings’ body, motor still running.

The family’s attorney said he died alone, in pain, and afraid, with no way to free himself or call for help.

The lawsuit filed in King County (WA) Superior Court seeks unspecified damages for the death caused by poor safety practices such as allowing a crewmember to work alone in a risky environment.

Aleutian Spray Fisheries, the defendant, said  that while it  shares the family’s grief, it disputes many of the lawsuit’s claims.

Source: Seattle PI.com