'Deadliest Catch' crewman seriously injured on same boat that lost a fisherman last year
Captain Rip Carlton thought he was having déjà vu after tragedy struck his boat again on Deadliest Catch Tuesday night. Just eight months after F/V Patricia Lee deckhand Todd Kochutin died from injuries sustained after a 700-lb. crab pot hit him, a similar tragedy befell another deckhand.
While setting crab pots in rough seas, a rogue wave knocked a pot out of the launcher. Unfortunately, the giant piece of welded steel pinned deckhand Francis Katungin against the railing. It was immediately clear that 39-year-old Katungin had suffered significant damage to his pelvic area, with a probable broken hip and a possibly shattered pelvis. In fact, the injury was so bad that veteran Deadliest Catch producer Todd Stanley stepped out from behind the camera to provide first aid.
Watching Deadliest Catch reminds me of how dangerous crab fishing is.
— Jenkins🏁 (@adultjenkins19) April 27, 2022
News of the injury quickly spread through the fleet.
"Last year, Todd was killed on that boat," said Cornelia Marie co-captain Casey McManus."Now he's having another guy get crushed. This is just... I mean…"
While there wasn't an immediate health update for Katungin, as the episode ended with Captain Carlton steaming 16 hours to get within range of a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to evacuate the wounded fisherman.
“You gotta do the best job you can," Carlton said. "My best job is to get this boat to a safe spot for the Coast Guard to get Francis off, which is not gonna be easy."
Deadliest Catch airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Discovery and is streaming on Discovery+.
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