Serious Boat Accident Occurs In The San Francisco Bay
| January 14th, 2013
January 14, 2013 An investigation has been launched into the Northern California Boating Accident that occurred in the San Francisco Bay this past week, in which an oil tanker collided with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. According to NBC-Bay Area News, the accident happened at around 11:20 a.m. Monday when the 752-foot ship was being piloted underneath the bridge and hit a 30 to 40-foot section surrounding one of the bridge’s towers. Experts say that a vital piece of equipment used by tanker pilots to navigate beneath the bridge may not have been functioning properly at the time of the accident though. Three Racon Transponders are placed at key locations on the bridge and are responsible for sending radar signals between the units and navigation equipment on board the ships; however, officials believe one of the units may have malfunctioned in the moments leading up to the crash. Despite the possibility of an equipment malfunction, investigators are also considering human error. Records show the pilot was found responsible for two similar accidents. The first incident occurred in August 2009 on the Sacramento River when the pilot steered the ship into a bank. He was found at fault for an accident again in 2010 after running a ship aground in the Richmond Inner Harbor. The California Personal Injury Lawyers with Berg Injury Lawyers acknowledge the dangers boat accidents can present and may be able to help you if you have been injured while boating at no fault of your own.
