(L.A.) Steven Saggiani, 47, Died on a Ship At Sea

Case Number: 2012-00468

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 47-year-old Caucasian male that occurred on a ship at sea.

The coroner’s office has identified the man as Steven Saggiani. Born in L.A. County.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Traumatic Injuries

RIP STEVEN NICHOLAS SAGGIANI (April 24, 1964 – January 19, 2012)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Thursday at 6:54 p.m.

The decedent was a longshore equipment operator.

Incident Location: SSA Marine, Berth J245
Port of Long Beach vessel Cosco Japan コスコ
Long Beach, California 90802

At 6:45 p.m., at the Port of Long Beach, Berth J245, the decedent was supervising a container crane operator, while aboard a vessel on the cargo hatch in Bay #34.

The container crane was offloading 20-ft and 40-ft shipping containers from the hatch cover on loading Bay 34, aboard the vessel.

The crane was handling a two-stack-high 20-ft container in the third row from the offshore side.

The spreader cables dislodged an adjacent six-stack-high 40-ft container from the second row of the offshore side.

The 40-ft container fell, landing on a 20-ft container below on the hatch cover and then tumbled into the bay, crushing the decedent beneath the shipping container.

The 40-ft-long shipping container was believed to have weighed 8.8 tons.

OSHA issued an initial penalty of $92,100 but after contesting the amount, the company seems to have paid only a $1,100 fine.