The wife of a dockworker killed when a mooring line snapped on a cargo ship has filed a $15 million wrongful death lawsuit against the ship’s owner and operators, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court of Portland, Oregon.
Byron J. Jacobs, a member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, died July 2 in the early morning hours when the cargo ship, ANSAC Splendor, was moving along the dock in an attempt to better position it for loading when the line broke, according to Oregonlive.com.
The line struck Jacobs and another dockworker at 700 feet per second. The accident was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard at 1:46 a.m. local time.
Jacobs worked as a dockworker and longshoreman for 17 years and the father of three young children in addition to be married to Megan Jacobs, who filed the lawsuit on his behalf.
The $15 million wrongful death lawsuit names SE Harmony Corp., the Taiwan-based vessel owner, and Bright Charter Shipping Ltd., which managed and operated the ship, per The Oregonian.
The wrongful death lawsuit alleges workers for Bright Charter Shipping Ltd. repositioned the cargo ship without making sure whether of not the crew was in danger, did not provide safe lines to shift the cargo ship, and failed to inspect the lines before trying to move the cargo ship.
“My husband was an absolutely AMAZING man, husband, father, brother, uncle and friend,” Megan Jacobs wrote on Facebook after the accident. “Last night, he was fatally injured at work while working a job that he loved and was very proud of. He is loved and missed very much. Please pray for our family while we take this time to grieve.”
According to marine traffic documents, the ANSAC Splendor sailed to the Port of Portland to unload cement and then sailed to Longview, Washington, to load cargo for export.
