Seaman, 66, Dies From Leg Injuries
A merchant seaman whose leg was nearly severed in a grisly accident aboard a cargo ship in Los Angeles Harbor died early Sunday morning at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Long Beach, authorities said.
August “Gus” Benz, 66, underwent five hours of surgery Saturday after the accident aboard the President Kennedy, owned by American President Lines, authorities said.
Benz, of Huntington Beach, was chipping paint from the ship’s fixtures several stories above the deck Saturday when he braced his leg against a track used by an on-board crane, said Terminal Island city fire spokesman Brian Humphrey.
The crane moved and nearly severed Benz’s left leg at the thigh, Humphrey said.
Benz apparently did not realize that the crane was moving toward him before it rolled over his leg, crushing it below the hip, Humphrey said.
American President Lines is launching an internal investigation into Benz’s death “to get some answers,” a spokesman said Sunday.
Law enforcement investigators said Benz’s death appears to be “a freak accident” and they added that no further investigation would take place.
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