Fisherman drowned after equipment pulled him overboard
After Mr MacLachlan was pulled overboard, the unmanned vessel continued to motor away and grounded three hours later on a shoal to the north of Belnahua.The report said he would have been pulled along behind the vessel and the weight of the creels would have dragged him underwaterThe skipper's body was later recovered entangled in what was described as a "perfect knot". There was no effective means for him to separate himself from the fishing gear or to raise any alarm from the water, meaning once he was pulled overboard he had "little chance of survival", the report found. The investigators wrote: "The circumstances of this accident highlight the persistent and enduring hazard that the dangers of creel and potting operations continue to pose to the lives of fishermen."The report made no specific recommendations, but said there was a general lack of awareness of the hazards when using single-handed fishing vessels.Mr MacLachlan was a career fisherman approaching retirement, who fished single-handed four to five times a week. He was known to be safety conscious and to show concern for others at sea, the report found.
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The Independent
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Daily Mail
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