Houston, TX — A worker who was helping unload some pipe in the Houston Ship Channel area last month was taken to a hospital in critical condition after he accidentally fell more than 60 feet. Jose Castorena was identified as the worker who fell, and he was reportedly employed by Tungsten.
This accident happened on Thursday, October 29, 2015.
According to the news reports, Castorena was working on a Bright Kiowa ship that Thursday morning around 11:00 a.m. and was helping unload pipe when something went wrong and he accidentally fell.
Later, the news reported that some of the cargo he was standing on suddenly shifted, which threw him down. He fell about 60 feet, they said, and landed in the hull of the ship.
A special crane using a Stokes Basket was used to take Castorena out of the hull and move him to safety. He was rushed to a hospital and was last said to be in very serious condition.
This took place along Industrial Road in Greensport area.
It’s not clear if Castorena’s company, Tungsten, has made any statement about this, but if they have, it hasn’t been in the news lately.
Map of the Approximate Location
Commentary:
One of the interesting things about “on-the-job” accidents for sailors is that they’re typically governed by special rules known as maritime law. Legally speaking, maritime law is much more lenient when it comes to filing negligence-based claims for accidents that happens to sailors and other seamen than, say, regular workers’ compensation laws.
The reason is partly historical and goes back to the early 1900’s, but it’s partly based on the fact that sailors and other men who work on cargo & freight ships are exposed to much more danger than your average dock worker or even your average construction worker. The law provides a way for them to cover their costs, lost wages, medical bills, etc, which is more than most workers who was stuck with workers’ comp benefits can say.
I’m not really sure what happened here or why this worker accidentally fell that day, but I hope that this accident is thoroughly investigated. The shipping industry is dangerous enough, and plenty of workers are hurt at our ports each year. Some of these workplaces and docks need some serious investigation from an organization like OSHA to make sure that everything is safe for their workers.
— Grossman Law Offices
