NATION IN BRIEF : ALASKA : Witness Criticizes Hazelwood Actions

The prosecution’s expert witness for marine accidents testified in the Anchorage trial of Joseph Hazelwood that the former Exxon Valdez skipper tried to free his grounded ship from Bligh Reef, endangering the lives of the crew and risking more damage to the tanker. George Greiner said Hazelwood tried to drive the impaled tanker over the reef, but he acknowledged that the ship did not move ahead and so no additional damage occurred. Greiner, a Ridgefield, Wash., marine consultant, acknowledged under cross-examination that, if Hazelwood’s orders had been followed, the ship would have missed Bligh Reef last March 24. Hazelwood is charged with a felony and three misdemeanors in connection with the grounding.