Last month, a settlement agreement of more than $9 million was reached between the owners of Scandies Rose Fishing Company LLC and two surviving members and the families of four men who died when the company's vessel went down on its route to start a winter fishing in the Bering Sea.
According to the lawsuit filed, the vessel was on a voyage from Kodiak to the Bering Sea to pursue cod and crab on stormy New Year’s Eve last year. A freezing spray was forecasted by The National Weather Service, which could result in the formation of ice on the vessel and its pot load, severely undermining the vessel's stability.
The 130-foot vessel never reached its next port, and the disaster took the lives of five crew members, which also included a 60-year old Kodiak, Alaska-based captain who is also a part-owner of the boat. The captain's family will receive money from other insurance and is not a part of the settlement.
The other four members included the captain's 30-year old son, who also lived in Kodiak, a 47-year old man from Kellogg, Idaho, the boat’s engineer, 50, who had lived in Sand Point, Alaska, and Puget Sound region, and a 31-year old man who lived in the Silverdale area.
The two survivors stated that they were all prepared with survival suits to abandon the rapidly sinking vessel when a big wave knocked them off the boat. Both of them reached a life raft, and a swimmer from a Coast Guard helicopter reached them on New Year’s Day and lifted them into the helicopter safely.
A lawsuit was filed for all damages permissible under the law, including damages for pain and suffering, emotional distress, psychological damage, economic losses, and loss of services.
An attorney representing the Washington and Alaska owners said that the settlement would be funded by insurance. The agreement will be reviewed by the state's Superior Court, and distribution of the amount is under discussion. The damages trial will be held next spring before a federal judge in U.S. District Court.
