Widow of longshoreman killed by snapped ship line files wrongful death suit

Widow of longshoreman killed by snapped ship line files wrongful death suit
Alex Bruell 4 July 2018 https://tdn.com/news/local/widow-of-longshoreman-killed-by-snapped-ship-...

The widow of a 34-year-old longshoreman who died when a mooring line snapped and struck him at the Port of Longview last week has filed a $16 million wrongful death lawsuit against the cargo ship’s corporate owner and managing company.

Byron J. Jacobs died Thursday when a thick nylon rope snapped and recoiled toward him at over 450 mph on board the Ansac Splendor, a cargo vessel that had sailed to the port of Longview to load, according to the lawsuit. Chief mate Pingshan Li, 41, of China was struck by the other half of the recoiling line and died later that night.

Jacobs earned approximately $125,000 a year and was the parent of three small children with his wife before he died, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Sunday in U.S. District Court in Portland.

In her lawsuit, Jacobs’ widow, Megan Jacobs, alleges that SE Harmony Corp., which owned the vessel, and Bright Charter Shipping, which managed and operated it, were negligent while repositioning and re-securing the Splendor.

Jacobs’ attorney Gordon T. Carey, Jr. said that Jacobs’ urgency in filing the suit is because the court still has jurisdiction over the vessel’s foreign owner and manager while the Splendor was still docked at the Port of Longview.

“The last thing (Jacobs) wanted to deal with was a lawyer and a lawsuit,” Carey Jr. said. “Her husband was a longtime, fifth-generation member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 21. And they’re very good about looking out for their own. They said ‘Look, as unpleasant as it may be, you need to get this claim filed against the master before the vessel leaves.’ ”

If she were to wait until after the vessel left to file a claim, Carey Jr. said, the process would become “very complicated, expensive, time consuming, (and) a real pain in the a—.”

The suit alleges that the ship’s owner and operator were, at some point, negligent in the process of repositioning and securing the ship, maintaining and handling the lines, or in warning and protecting the crew members working aboard the Splendor.

“I don’t know what’s ultimately going to be the cause,” Carey Jr. said. “We have to wait for the evidence to be produced. Among those possible causes, we will determine what actually happened.”

The suit calls for a jury trial and damages. The amount of damages demanded is listed as $15 million dollars, but Carey said this was in error and should have been $16 million dollars.

The incident is also being investigated by the Coast Guard.