{"id":6710,"date":"2016-12-28T16:02:51","date_gmt":"2016-12-28T21:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/terrybdev.wpengine.com\/?page_id=6710"},"modified":"2023-09-06T16:34:40","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T21:34:40","slug":"barges-go-bad-accidents-waterways-terry-bryant-law-firm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/houston-work-injury-lawyer\/maritime-injury-lawyer\/barge-accident-lawyer","title":{"rendered":"Barge Accidents"},"content":{"rendered":"<br \/>\n<h2>WHEN BARGES GO BAD \u2013<br \/>\nACCIDENTS ON AMERICA\u2019S WATERWAYS<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6711 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/barge-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Barge\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/>Your typical river barge is a massive container of steel, hauling enormous weights of commodities. Here are the basic stats for an average barge:<\/p><div id=\"glm-mobile-toc-box\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>195 feet long<\/li>\n<li>35 feet wide<\/li>\n<li>Carrying capacity of 1,500 tons<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A single barge can carry up to five times its weight, and it is not at all unusual for multiple barges to be tied together when transporting merchandise. <strong>An average \u201ctow\u201d is 15 barges<\/strong>. It would take a train three miles long or a fleet of trucks 35 miles long to equal the carrying power of these water caravans. In the unfortunate event of a truck accident, it&#8217;s essential to consult a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/houston-truck-accident-lawyer\">truck accident lawyer<\/a> to protect your rights and seek appropriate compensation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Inland liquid cargo tank barges<\/strong> (hauling petroleum and petroleum products, fertilizer, and chemicals) are longer \u2013 <strong>297 feet in length with a capacity of one million gallons \u2013 approximately 4160 tons<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The most common commodities moved by barges? <strong>Coal, petrochemical products, and grain<\/strong>, followed by sand, gravel, timber, iron ore and other minerals. The reason is cost.<\/p>\n<h3>BARGES \u2013 ECONOMICAL BUT SLOW<\/h3>\n<p>Moving bulky items is <strong>far cheaper by barge<\/strong> than other modes of transportation.<\/p>\n<p>Barges: Moving one ton of material &#8211; <strong>514 miles<\/strong> on one gallon of diesel fuel.<br \/>\nTrains: One ton \u2013 <strong>202 miles<\/strong> on one gallon of diesel fuel.<br \/>\nTrucks: One ton \u2013 <strong>59 miles<\/strong> per gallon of diesel fuel<\/p>\n<p>The drawback is of course speed. <strong>Moving by barge is far, far slower<\/strong>. From Cairo, IL to New Orleans takes four days by barge. The reverse trip takes eight days. (The barges have to fight against the current.)<\/p>\n<p>One other limiting factor \u2013 there has to be a waterway. No channels deep enough to handle the barges, then no barge transportation.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Many barges have their own engines, but many others must be pushed (towed) by a tugboat. Contrary to what one may think, towing several barges in one long line is easier than steering a single barge. The huge mass acts as a stabilizer all on its own.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>However, that incredible weight poses its own set of problems. Once in motion, there\u2019s <strong>no way to easily stop a river convoy<\/strong> in any type of emergency. If something gets in the way, it will either be severely damaged or sunk.<\/p>\n<p>The sheer length of these barges also makes it many times impossible to see past the bow (front) in foggy or rainy weather. Many times a tug captain won\u2019t be able to see past a single barge when conditions are especially poor.<\/p>\n<p>When barge accidents do happen, they can be spectacular mishaps.<\/p>\n<h2>THE HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL<\/h2>\n<p>The Houston Ship Channel is one of the most active and congested waterways in the nation, moving an estimated <strong>200 million tons of cargo<\/strong> each year. The channel itself is <strong>530 feet wide, 45 feet deep and 50 miles long<\/strong>. It has been in used for mass water transportation of goods since 1836.<\/p>\n<p>However, when something goes wrong, it can go south in a big way.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>July 20, 2015<\/strong> &#8211; Two barges collided, with one ship catching on fire and spilling its contents of <strong>petroleum naphtha<\/strong> \u2013 a highly dangerous substance used in fertilizer production.<\/li>\n<li><strong>June 10, 2015<\/strong> &#8211; 1.5 miles of this vital waterway were shut down for nearly two hours. A moving barge collided with a docked ship, with the anchored ship spilling almost <strong>23,000 gallons of toxic, flammable naphthalene<\/strong> \u2013 a highly dangerous substance used in moth balls and pesticides.<\/li>\n<li><strong>March 2015<\/strong> \u2013 Shipping accidents caused a flammable gasoline additive <strong>MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether)<\/strong> to leak into the waterway. MTBE is also <strong>highly toxic to humans<\/strong> and animals. The spill forced residents of <strong>Morgan Point<\/strong> to shelter inside their homes, closed nearby roads and had first responders wearing gas masks and breathing gear.<\/li>\n<li><strong>March 23, 2014<\/strong> &#8211; Texas City, TX &#8211; <strong>168,000 gallons of viscous, tarry fuel oil <\/strong>spilled from a barge after colliding with another ship in the Houston Channel, affecting both fishing and a shorebird habitat on both sides of the waterway.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>BARGE WORK &amp; DANGEROUS CONDITIONS<\/h2>\n<p>It should come as no surprise working with and on barges and tugs can be both dangerous and deadly. <strong>Decks are especially hazardous<\/strong>.\u00a0 When one mixes slippery, wet, oily decks with thousands of tons of cargo, steel cables and heavy machinery \u2013 injuries are bound to happen.<\/p>\n<p>Many injuries and deaths are from simply <strong>slipping and falling<\/strong> \u2013 either into the water or into the cargo holds. If you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall accident, it&#8217;s important to seek the help of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/personal-injury-lawyer\/houston-premises-liability-lawyer\/slip-and-fall-lawyers\">slip and fall lawyer<\/a> who can provide guidance and support during this challenging time. Others happen when workers get <strong>crushed between objects<\/strong> or ships. Still other injuries are the result of having <strong>limbs caught in the steel cables<\/strong> tugs use in maneuvering these barges.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some stats from the United States Coast Guard (2013):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Falls Overboard<\/strong>: The largest number of fatalities (50%) is attributed to falling overboard.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Asphyxiation<\/strong>: 14% of the total, asphyxiation resulted from vessel accidents and diving mishaps.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Struck by Objects<\/strong>, Falling on Deck, Crushed to Death, Caught by Lines all are about the same \u2013 with each about 6% to 7% of the total.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With about <strong>30,000 barges<\/strong> on U.S. waterways today, and over <strong>one billion dollars<\/strong> being transported each year (15% of all freight transportation) \u2013 barges will remain a permanent and integral part of our national delivery infrastructure.<\/p>\n<h2>TERRY BRYANT LAW FIRM<\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/\">Terry Bryant Law Firm in Houston<\/a><\/strong> has been helping Texas residents for over 30 years with their accident-related legal problems and concerns. If you or a family member have been injured in a barge or tugboat accident, Terry Bryant will help you get all the assistance and legal aid to which you are entitled.\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WHEN BARGES GO BAD \u2013 ACCIDENTS ON AMERICA\u2019S WATERWAYS Your typical river barge is a massive container of steel, hauling enormous weights of commodities. Here are the basic stats for an average barge: 195 feet long 35 feet wide Carrying capacity of 1,500 tons A single barge can carry up to five times its weight, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7253,"parent":593,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6710","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>WHEN BARGES GO BAD - ACCIDENTS ON WATERWAYS | TERRY BRYANT LAW FIRM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your typical river barge is a massive container of steel, hauling enormous weights of commodities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/houston-work-injury-lawyer\/maritime-injury-lawyer\/barge-accident-lawyer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WHEN BARGES GO BAD - ACCIDENTS ON WATERWAYS | TERRY BRYANT LAW FIRM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Your typical river barge is a massive container of steel, hauling enormous weights of commodities.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.terrybryant.com\/houston-work-injury-lawyer\/maritime-injury-lawyer\/barge-accident-lawyer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Terry Bryant Accident &amp; 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