PORTLAND, Maine —
The families of four Maine fishermen who died at sea have been awarded $1 million by a judge as part of a settlement with the ship’s owner.
The Emmy Rose sank off the coast of Massachusetts in November 2020 as it was heading to port after a seven-day fishing trip.
Robert Blethen, Jeff Matthews, Michael Porper and Ethan Ward were killed.
“When you’re in the fishing industry, you never think it’s going to be you that gets that phone call,” said Porper’s fiancé, Ashley Gross.
Porper left behind Gross and their now 3-year-old daughter.
“She talks about her dad all the time. ‘Mom, can we get daddy out of heaven? I just really miss him.’ Or, ‘Can we build a staircase up to heaven,'” Gross said.
A judge last week distributed insurance proceeds from the boat’s owner, writing that each man died “an unspeakably tragic and terrible death.”
Gross’ attorney, Joseph Orlando, said the vessel was underinsured.
“There was never going to be a situation where the families were made whole by the insurance proceeds,” Orlando said. “There’s no amount of money that can ever really replace a person.”
The wreckage of the vessel was located in May.
Officials said at the time that there was no evidence of the remains of the fishermen in the vicinity of the wreckage site.
Authorities continue to investigate how the Emmy Rose sank.
“There’s a possibility we could seek recovery from some other party if another party is found to be responsible in any way. We await the National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Coast Guard report to find that out,” Orlando said.
Family and friends of the fishermen are left to wonder what exactly happened to their loved ones the day the Emmy Rose sank.
“There’s nothing in this world that can bring him back,” Gross said. “He worked really hard to make sure he gave us a good life, so I’m just trying to follow in his footsteps.”
Video & Source: https://www.wmtw.com/article/emmy-rose-maine-settlement/38727065
