Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA)

4 Missing in Pacific Ocean Following Unexplained Maritime Accident

March 12, 2012

According to Coast Guard reports, a commercial fishing boat got into trouble late Saturday night off the coast of Washington state and four of its crewmembers are unaccounted for. The 62-foot wooden vessel, known as the Lady Cecelia, was approximately 17 miles west of Leadbetter Point near Willapa Bay when it disintegrated for reasons unknown. [...]

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Maritime Crane Accident Kills Worker Off the Coast of Galveston

August 19, 2011

On Tuesday, August 16, 2011, an offshore worker was killed when a crane collapsed onboard an oil and gas production platform owned by Energy Resource Technology, a subsidiary of Houston-based Helix Energy Solutions Group. The accident occurred approximately 75 miles southeast of Galveston. The platform was not actively drilling at the time of the worker’s [...]

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Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA)

August 2, 2010

The Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) covers any death that occurs more than 3 nautical miles from the shore of any state. A DOHSA claim can only be brought by the personal representative of the deceased on behalf of the decedent’s spouse, children, or any other financially dependent relative. These claims only allow [...]

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Common Causes of Wrongful Death at Sea

June 16, 2008

The untimely death of a loved one is a traumatic experience for the entire family. In order to better understand how something like this might happen, here are a few common causes of wrongful death at sea. First, the sinking, or capsizing, of the vessel can occur due to inclement weather, ship defect, operator error [...]

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Death in International Waters

June 12, 2008

The Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) was initially passed in 1920 by Congress to compensate the widows of seamen who died in international waters. In order to qualify under the statute, the death or cause of death must have taken place at least three miles from the shore of any state, in international [...]

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