Watercraft Accident
September 9, 2010 - A hearing is being held at the Coast Guard District Headquarters in Alameda concerning a December, 2009 watercraft accident in which a 33-foot Coast Guard patrol vessel smashed into a private pleasure boat in San Diego. An 8-year-old boy was killed in the accident. His father testified at the hearing on Wednesday. The boy's father said there was "carnage everywhere." He said there was "glass, bodies and blood" and that he was "amazed we weren't in the water." His son died from serious head wounds. The boy's father said that the impact pinned him against the steering wheel, that he heard a crushing sound behind him as he attempted to free himself and that the whole incident seemed to take an eternity. The hearing is expected to last until Friday. Three Coast Guard members are being charged in the crash. The boat driver, a Coast Guard Petty Officer, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. An attorney for the Petty Officer said, "the family is rightly suing the Coast Guard." He appeared to be in agreement with the family's lawsuit alleging that the accident was caused by poor training and supervision on the part of the Coast Guard, visibility flaws in the design of the Coast Guard vessel and the "chaotic lighting conditions" in San Diego Harbor during an annual Christmas boat parade. The attorney said it was in the Coast Guard's interest to blame the Petty Officer for causing the accident. The Petty Officer told investigators that he was driving the boat at 18 miles per hour although some eyewitnesses said the boat was traveling at a speed of 20 to 40 knots (1 knot = 1.15077945 mph). The Coast Guard District Commander will decide if the defendants in the case will be court-martialed. A fourth Coast Guard member is facing lesser charges and is being tried separately. Please call an Oakland Personal Injury attorney if you or a loved one have a personal injury or wrongful death claim as a result of a watercraft accident.