Dock worker missing and presumed drowned

Shortly before 9 a.m. on Oct. 6, a dock worker went missing in South Carolina after the boat he was in reportedly flipped over. While speaking with a Coastal Crisis Chaplain after the incident, a man who survived the boating accident in Charleston County reported that the boat he was in had suddenly capsized. No other workers were on board the boat when it overturned, and the laborers accident is presumed to have resulted in the drowning death of the missing worker.

Emergency response personnel were alerted to the accident when a disconnected 911 call came in that was then traced to the boat in Wando River. The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies were able to rescue one of the dock workers, but the other was not found. Agencies including the North Charleston Fire Department Dive Team and the Charleston County Volunteer Rescue Squad are now focusing on locating and recovering the missing man’s body.

Before the accident, the two men had been working on the construction of a new dock in Rivertowne. The man who went missing was a supervisor on the construction project. Investigators believe that the boat’s motor may have shut down before the accident, and the survivor reportedly recalled hitting some kind of bump before the boat flipped over.

After a fatal work accident, family members of a deceased victim may suffer a debilitating financial setback in addition to their grief. A lawyer may be able to help family members clear up any confusion regarding legal information and possibly claim workers’ compensation death benefits.

Source: WCSC, “Police: Missing dock worker presumed drowned in Wando River“, Patrick Phillips and Harve Jacobs, October 07, 2014