Fishermen sue fishermen for accident

Photo: Jeff Mayers
Photo: Jeff Mayers

THREE fishermen have sued two of their fellow fishermen seeking monetary compensation arising from a boat accident at sea, claiming $60,000 for injuries and repairs to their boat. The incident happened on October 5, last year.

In a High Court lawsuit filed last month, Kurt Sooknanan, his father Bhadase and his (Bhadase's) brother, Wilfred who own the boat Nicko Boy, had gone on a fishing expedition off TCL's Claxton Bay jetty. They casted their fishing nets, the lawsuit said, in waters between the TCL's cement factory and Petrotrin's jetty.

After they had completed a day's fishing, the lawsuit said, the three returned to the TCL's jetty at about 5.10 pm. They began to clean the boat. Filed by attorney Jeevan Andrew Rampersad, the lawsuit contended that the three men saw another boat, TFV 1206, approaching towards them at a very high speed. One of them took a cloak from the boat and began waving it to alert the captain in order that he may deviate his course.

Another one, the lawsuit said, waved a flag.

But the lawsuit claimed that TFV 1206 was speeding towards Niko Boy. Wilfred then stood on the bow and waved his hands, but to no avail.

It said that when TFV 1206 was nearing the Sooknanans, they made a last attempt to alert the captain by shouting loudly. The boat suddenly crashed directly into Niko Boy, throwing them off the boat. Wilfred, 68, sustained injuries to the face and head and was warded, the lawsuit said, for three days at San Fernando General Hospital. He is still undergoing treatment. A report about the accident, he said, was made at the St Margarets Police Station.

The lawsuit was filed against owner of TFV 1206, Mikey Ramdass, and the boat's captain, Desmond Belfast. It contends that the boat travelled at an excessive speed in the circumstances and, did not give the Sooknanans sufficient time or warning to abandon their boat.

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