A crewman working aboard the Alaska crab boat Patricia Lee was hit in the head by a crab pot Monday evening. A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued the man who was suffering from a head injury symptoms. The injured crewman was taken to Dutch Harbor for further medical evaluation where he was reported to be in stable condition.
Working on the deck of an Alaska crab boat is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. The crewmen who sometimes work in heavy weather conditions are at risk of injury from swinging crab pots that sometimes weigh as much as a thousand pounds. It is important that proper safety procedures be utilized to protect the crew from injuries.
In this case, following the crewman’s injury, the Patricia Lee contacted the Coast Guard for medical advice. The Coast Guard Flight Surgeon recommended that the injured crewman be medevaced from the vessel. In total because of the Patricia Lee’s distance from shore the medical evacuation involved two separate coast guard crews and involved two different helicopters.
The facts and circumstances of the Patricia Lee crewman’s injury are not currently known. Head injuries often result in post concussive syndrome and medical recovery can be a long and slow process.