Seattle Injury Lawyer Blog
According to reports, Donald Hatch, a 76-year-old retiree from Edmonds, was killed Friday afternoon when a yacht collided with his small fishing boat off Seattle’s Shilshole Bay in clear weather.
Hatch was fishing with John Johnson of Mount Lake Terrance. Hatch and Johnson had taken Hatch’s skiff about a mile off Shilshole on Friday. At about 4:10 p.m., the cabin cruiser SHELMAR collided with the skiff. Hatch and Johnson were thrown into the water, according to Eric Cookson, Coast Guard command duty officer.
The two occupants of the SHELMAR pulled the men from the water, Cookson said. Police performed CPR, but couldn’t revive Hatch. Johnson was taken to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, and later released. His injuries were not immediately known.
Under maritime law, a collision between two or more vessels is called an allision. When vessels collide on Puget Sound, special maritime rules of law apply. For instance, the types of compensation that families are entitled to for wrongful death differ under maritime law as do the remedies for personal injury. As maritime injury lawyers, we understand the complexities of maritime law and can provide a free consultation to injured persons or the families of people killed on Puget Sound waters. You may contact our firm at 866-377-0191.