|
SETTLEMENT REACHED IN CASE OF NEGLIGENT PARASAIL OPERATOR
***Coast Guard press conference today***
TAMPA, Fla. - Representatives from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in Tampa will be holding a press conference at 2:00 p.m. today at Parasail City in Clearwater Beach, Fla., to discuss the results of an administrative hearing last week between the Coast Guard and Alexander Widmann, a parasail operator charged with negligently operating his parasail vessel in two separate incidents in the last year.
Widmann was the captain of a parasailing vessel pulling two teenage girls in April when the towline snapped. Luckily, the two girls were rescued by beachgoers who hauled them to safety. After investigating the incident, however, the Coast Guard charged Widmann with negligently operating his vessel, causing the line to part and placing the girls' lives in danger.
The Coast Guard also charged that Widmann committed misconduct, negligence and was in violation of the rules of the road when, on July 13, he allegedly placed his vessel unnecessarily close to another parasail vessel, endangering the lives of the passengers on board and aloft from both vessels.
Both of these cases went before an administrative law judge last week. However, before the judge heard the arguments in the second case, Widmann agreed to a settlement deemed fair by all parties in the cases and approved by the administrative law judge's consent order.
Widmann agreed to a three-month suspension of his captain's license, followed by three years of probation and a promise not to participate in the parasail industry for three years. Widmann also agreed to perform three speaking engagements on parasailing safety within the next year.
The Coast Guard representatives at today's press conference will discuss these cases and provide details on how its voluntary parasail inspection program is working to prevent cases like this from occurring in the future.
Editor's note - Media interested in attending the press conference are asked to be at Parasail City (25 Causeway Blvd., Clearwater Beach, Fla., 33767 - Slip 2 at the Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina) by 1:45 p.m. today.
While Parasail City is hosting this press conference, the company was not involved in either of the cases described above, but was, however, the first company to participate in the Coast Guard's voluntary inspection program and receive a sticker indicating they meet safety standards.
###
The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the
Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America. |
printer friendly