Laboom Dyer Succumbs to Injuries Sustained in 27 August Straddle Carrier Tipover [Auckland, NZ – 03 September 2018]

Posted by admin on Sep 3, 2018 in Bulletins

With great regret, Blueoceana Company has received word that Laboom “Midnight” Dyer, a 23 year old New Zealand dockworker, died today in hospital of injuries sustained on the morning of 27 August, as a result of his straddle carrier tipping over at the Fergusson Container Terminal, Port of Auckland.

Apart from the media reports linked to below, which chronicle the accident and today’s ultimate outcome, we can offer nothing in the way of supplemental facts at this point in time.

What we can add, however, is that tip-overs of container handling equipment are not, in a global sense, a rarity. And past observations of straddle carrier tip-overs, in particular, tend to have their causal attributes linked to (singularly or in combination) excessive speed, multi-directional operation (compromised visibility), uneven ground surfaces and poor/deferred maintenance. Over time, our own cursory observation is that the use of operator restraint systems (i.e., seatbelts) can often greatly mitigate the outcome of of such tipovers.

Link to Media Account:  Port of Auckland worker critically injured after a straddle carrier tipped (082718)

Link to Media Account:  Man critically injured at Ports of Auckland after container-lifting machinery tips over_1024x576_MOV

Link to Media Account:  Port Of Auckland Closes Container Terminal After Major Accident (082718) 9.40.46 AM

Link to Media Account:  ITF mourns death of docker at Ports of Auckland (090318)

Link to Media Account:  Ports of Auckland worker dies in hospital from injuries (090418)

Link to Media Account:  Ports of Auckland worker who died saves six lives through organ donation (090518)

Above: Laboom Dyer and his young son, Noah.