Within a week, in separate incidents on separate trawlers in Alaska, two men have suffered head injuries from on-board cables.
On Thursday morning, March 1, Andrew Fotu, aged 25, of Seattle, was struck in the head by a snapped cable while working aboard F/V ALASKA JURIS, a 238-foot Fishing Company of Alaska factory trawler. A rescue swimmer, who was lowered from one of the two helicopters deployed by the Coast Guard, determined that Mr. Fotu had died. The ALASKA JURIS crew transported the young man’s body to Unalaska.
Monday morning another head injury caused by a cable on board a fishing vessel in Alaska resulted in the Coast Guard emergency medevac by helicopter of 47-year-old Franz D’Alquen to Cold Bay Clinic for initial medical care. Mr. D’Alquen will receive further care in Anchorage. This occurred aboard F/V ALASKA OCEAN, a 376-foot factory trawler owned by Glacier Fish Company of Seattle.