TUG COMPANY MOURNS LOSS OF COWORKER
LONG BEACH, February 20 – “It's a real tragedy – a very sad time for all of us.”
That's how Dave Selga, Manager of Terminal Services at Foss Maritime Company, expressed his feelings and those of his company after learning that a co-worker had tragically lost her life in a vessel incident earlier today, off the Southern California coast. A second crew member was also injured in the incident and is recovering at a local hospital.
Piper Cameron,a deckhand, received major injuries on board a tug she was working just off Marina del Rey at 11 a.m. The tug crew, Coast Guard, and other rescuers successfully evacuated the severely injured deck hand off the tug and moved her to an ambulance. But tragically, according to Selga, she passed away en route to Daniel Freeman Hospital.
“We’re still in shock. Piper was everyone’s favorite. We have lost a good friend. We’ve all been deeply affected by this,” Selga said.
Coast Guard and L.A. County Sheriffs Department investigators are working with Foss to determine the cause of the incident, which involved one of the company’s tugs, the Emma Foss, and a barge.
“We’re not sure what happened,” said Selga. “We’ll continue to cooperate fully with the Coast Guard and other investigators to find out the cause of this tragic incident. Right now, our focus is to reach out to both families to do what we can during this difficult time.”
The other injured crew member, Scott Dekraai, 38, was also evacuated from the vessel and moved to Harbor General Hospital in San Pedro. His injuries are reported to be serious but “non-life threatening,” according to Selga.
“We have sent co-workers to the hospital. They are there to provide Scott and his family with any assistance they may need.”
Cameron, 26, of Huntington Beach joined the company as a deckhand in 2001. According to Selga, she was very experienced in her job and popular with everyone at the Long Beach operation.
He said the company has brought in professional grief counselors to help employees and their families to work through the tragedy.
“This is a very emotional time. We’re urging all employees or family members who want to speak with a counselor to do so. We have provided all employees with the appropriate contact information should they want to seek this assistance,” he said.
Foss Maritime Company is based in Seattle and operates a fleet of tugs and barges throughout the West Coast, including Los Angeles/Long Beach.