Trawlerman’s death was an accident

A YOUNG fisherman who fell overboard in rough seas suffered ‘unsurvivable’ injuries, an inquest heard.

James Grindy, 24, suffered serious internal injuries after he fell from Brixham beam trawler Korenbloem in the Dover Straits last November.

A jury returned a verdict of accidental death following an inquest at Torquay Town Hall yesterday.

James, from Brixham, was pulled unconscious from the two-and-a-half metre swell by fellow crew members.

There was no evidence of drowning. The jury found that James suffered fatal injuries to his internal organs.

His fall was not witnessed, but on the balance of probabilities he fell between the boat and the scallop pole.

Earlier the jury heard that James had been standing on a tray of wet scallops without a barrier between him and the open sea on the evening of November 26.

Marine accident investigator Captain Richard Meikle said: “In the rain the severe rolling of the boat, in strong winds, having to stand on the wet scallop catch, all contribute to making this action an extremely dangerous one.”

The inquest heard there was no physical barrier between James and the open sea as he stretched to unclip the wires holding the scallop haul.

He was not wearing a safety harness or lifejacket at the time; neither is a statutory safety requirement.

Capt Meikle said that wearing a safety harness would have been cumbersome given the restricted environment, but had it been attached during this operation it would have prevented James from falling overboard.

The inquest heard that since the accident a tipper rail had been installed on the boat.

This is hydraulic equipment designed to prevent similar accidents.

The jury heard how fellow crew members Joseph Fellowes and John Paul Kimble jumped into the sea after the stricken fisherman.

They managed to bring him back to the vessel while the skipper called for aid, making a Mayday call.

Kimble and Fellowes both received Royal Humane Society bronze medals for their actions.

The French coastguard helicopter and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Mount Bay, which was 15 miles away, came to the aid of the Korenbloem.

Medical technician Iain Lowson, on board Mount Bay, said in a statement: “I could hear that the captain of the trawler was most distressed. He said ‘We are trying to resuscitate but we just need help’.”

The French coastguard helicopter had difficulty in reaching the vessel because of the poor weather conditions. There were wind speeds of 50mph that night.

Pathologist Debbie Cook said James had most likely never regained consciousness.

James had been working on the vessel for three weeks, but had previous seafaring experience.

He was undertaking one of the most dangerous operations on board when the incident happened.

He was standing in the scallop tray, the level of which is just inches below the edge of the boat.

Capt Meikle told the hearing that in ideal circumstances there should be a one-metre barrier between the fisherman and the open sea, but because of the design of this boat a barrier would have been difficult to fit.

“The next best thing would have been the use of a safety harness,” he said.

His report for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said that fisherman endured a high tolerance of risk in carrying out their tasks.

The fatality rate was 150 deaths among 100,000 fishermen compared to less than one in other occupations.

He said: “In this case the risk became a reality, and a man lost his life.”

Skipper Peter Evans said it was not unusual to be out in those type of conditions and that all of his crew were able to perform the tasks of the day.

When asked why James wasn’t wearing a safety line, he said: “Really there is nowhere you can put a line. A line would make it more dangerous because there is so much stuff for it to get caught up in.”

William Hopkin representing the Grindy family, asked the skipper: “Do you accept that in the dark, in the rain, in a rolling sea, in windy conditions, standing on top of a wet catch in the absence of a rail there was an obvious danger to James. Why didn’t you do anything about that?”

Mr Evans replied: “I don’t know, it’s just something you do on every haul.”