Find Answers To Your Questions By Searching Here:

Maritime Accident News

Crane accident kills worker on platform southeast of Galveston

Posted on Aug 18, 2011

A crane collapsed and killed a worker Tuesday at a Energy Resource Technology oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico about 75 miles southeast of Galveston.

A government agency confirmed this the next day.

A Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) accident report states that, during a crane lift of large equipment from the platform to a work boat, the crane collapsed from an apparent boom hoist failure. This triggered a chain of events ending in the crane harness fatally striking the employee, who has not yet been identified.

Energy Resource Technology is a subsidiary of Helix Energy Solutions Group of Houston, which owns the lease of the shallow water drill site.

BOEMRE inspectors were on site investigating the accident.

"This incident provides the most dramatic possible reminder of what is at stake as we work with industry to ensure the highest safety standards on offshore facilities and do everything possible to minimize the risk of such accidents," said BOEMRE director Michael Bromwich in a statement.

"This is the kind of tragic accident that almost certainly could be prevented," said maritime attorney Brian Beckcom of Vujasinovic & Beckcom in Houston. "The offshore oil and gas industry too often puts profit ahead of production. I know, I see it every day in my practice representing injured workers and their families, and I have a very close family member who worked on offshore platforms."

"We are working with the BOEMRE and the Coast Guard to determine the root cause of the accident," said Helix spokesman Cameron Wallace. "The ultimate goal is to ensure this doesn't happen again."

Source: Fuelfix.com

Learn your rights as a seaman by ordering free copy of The Insider's Guide to Winning Your Maritime Injury Case written by Jones Act and maritime accident injury lawyer Brian Beckcom.

Maritime Work is Dangerous

Our maritime lawyers realize that maritime work can be dangerous when companies cut corners on safety. That's why we've dedicated our time to putting out free information for workers.