Longshoreman Succumbs To Injuries Sustained in Dockside Allision [Charleston, SC – 10 August 2018]

Posted by admin on Aug 11, 2018 in Bulletins

With great regret, Blueoceana Company received word last night that a longshore worker and member of ILA Local Union 1422 succumbed to injuries he received last Wednesday, when his privately owned vehicle allided with a stringpiece bollard at the Wando Welch Marine Terminal in Mt. Pleasant (Charleston Port), South Carolina.

ILA member Dwight Collins reportedly became suddenly incapacitated while driving along the dock to a parking area, in preparation for operations at an awaiting container ship. The right front side of his automobile apparently struck the bollard with great force, shearing the right front tire assembly from the vehicle. From available photographs (see below), we surmise that the wheel was propelled into the starboard side of the adjacent ship whereupon it was deflected and ultimately came to rest some twelve feet away from the automobile’s opposite (left) side.

The impact folded the front end of the automobile to the extent that emergency responders had to utilize a hydraulic apparatus to pry apart the wreckage and ultimately free the victim. It took some time….. Once freed, Mr. Collins was rushed to hospital where physicians, we understand, found an extensive liver rupture. Despite their continuing efforts, he passed away yesterday (10 August) evening.

Presently, through several means, it is conjectured that Mr. Collins had an existing medical history within which incapacitating seizures were a part. How such seizures were being controlled and to what extent recent events may have provided a cautionary outlook, however, are issues that a complete investigation would be obliged to explore.