Diver Injured by Propeller

[Mr.X]

I wish the diver the speediest recovery. It should never happen, but often does. It just makes my heart sink.

X

Update: Injured diver in intensive care after Harbor Loop accident

By Robert Cann
Staff Writer
A local diver is hosplitalized in intensive care at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital tonight after he was seriously injured while cleaning the propeller of a fishing boat at Gloucester's Harbor Loop this afternoon.

Diver Ted Barnes, who owns Gloucester-based Freedom Diving Corp., was working beneath Geordie King's gillnetter Ocean Pride III at a Harbor Loop pier when the accident occurred just after 3 p.m. King, who was unaware Barnes had been cleaning beneath the boat, said he started the engine without putting the boat in gear. King said the propeller still turns slowly when this happens, but he suspected that's what injured Barnes.

After the boat was running, Glen Durgin, working on the Maine-based Ocean Pride III at the time, saw Barnes in the water, unconscious. He got Barnes above water while King called for help. King said Barnes was still wearing his diving gear.

King said that Barnes regained consciousness and began yelling and screaming before a U.S. Coast Guard crew arrived to ferry the injured man to the Coast Guard station, said King. Barnes was treated at the scene for apparent head injuries and was airlifted from there to Brigham and Women's via helicopter.

For more on this story look to tomorrow's print and online editions of the Gloucester Daily Times and gloucestertimes.com

 

[Doubler]

This is a terrible accident that could and should have been avoided by tagging out the system. I wish the diver a speedy recovery.

 

[james croft]

Definitely preventable.

 

[NudeDiver]

That sucks.

Lockout, Tagout. It's the way to do things.

 

[jridg]

I hate to be 'mean' to someone who is hurt - but really - this guy is a 'pro' at this and never heard of tagging out the controls?! *** was he thinking?

Hope he lives to learn from this mistake.....

 

[Cudabait]

Unfortunate.

 

[Rick Murchison]

I hate to be 'mean' to someone who is hurt - but really - this guy is a 'pro' at this and never heard of tagging out the controls?! *** was he thinking?

Hope he lives to learn from this mistake.....

The assumption that there was no tag-out has no more validity than the assumption that the engine was started with tags in place.
I've seen it both ways.
Rick

 

[ReefHound]

I wonder if the yelling and screaming was in pain over his injuries or anger at the guy who started the engine?

 

[Web Monkey]

The assumption that there was no tag-out has no more validity than the assumption that the engine was started with tags in place.
I've seen it both ways.
Rick

If it was properly locked out, starting it would have required tools and determination.

Terry

 

[Rick Murchison]

If it was properly locked out, starting it would have required tools and determination.

Terry

Yep, that too. And I've seen extraordinary measures taken to open a tagged & locked valve before... ("Gee, sir, I figured it was finished/left over/a mistake/forgotten from yesterday/got the date mixed up" etc ad nauseum)
But, this one sounds like a private yacht, and my bet is that the "norm" is a simple tag-out.
Either this boat wasn't tagged out, in which case the diver is largely responsibile for his own injury, or it was tagged out, in which case the tag-out was ignored.
I think it's about a 50/50 chance at this time, so I ain't willing to cast stones at either the diver or the boat owner ... yet...

Rick