PORT TOWNSEND—A 70-year old woman died from injuries she suffered when she fell from a boat that was undergoing repairs at Boat Haven.
The unidentified woman died at Harborview Medical Center at 11 a.m. Thursday.
A port security officer was called to the 300-ton lift area at Boat Haven at 6:01 a.m. Thursday to find Port Townsend police and East Jefferson Fire Rescue firefighters tending to the woman who had fallen from a dry-docked fiberglass 48-foot catamaran, said Jim Pivarnik, Port of Port Townsend interim executive director.
The woman was reported to be in critical condition with a head injury, he said.
She was transported to Jefferson Heathcare hospital. Foggy conditions prevented an air transport so she was sent to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle via an ambulance, he said.
The vessel was occupied overnight by the male and female owners who were staying on board while work was being done over the past 10 days and the older woman and a child were visiting from the Seattle area, he said.
Pivarnik said it appeared that the woman left the cabin at about 5:45 a.m. and that several minutes later one of the occupants found her on the ground unconscious. She appeared to have fallen about 12 feet from the boat to a tarp on the ground below.
Port security inspected the area and found the ladder properly secured to the stern of the vessel. No obvious safety hazards were found, he said.
“The yard can be a very dangerous place, Pivarnik said. “This was an unfortunate accident. Everything from a safety point of view from the owner’s perspective was secured and everything was buttoned up.”
“It’s always a tragic loss to have something like this happen in your yard,” Pivarnik said. “The port is there for the family.”
