long island captain According to reports, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker, which rammed Alaska in 1989, has died in one of the worst environmental disasters in the country’s history.
Joseph Hazlewood, who lived in Huntington, died in July at the age of 75 after battling cancer and COVID-19, According to the New York Times.
exxon valdez It crashed on Alaska’s Blige Reef on March 24, 1989, pumping nearly 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound.
An organization assessing the impact of the accident found that it devastated wildlife in the area, killing nearly a quarter million seabirds – as well as 22 killer whales and 250 bald eagles.
In the wake of the accident, Hazlewood was charged with negligent endangerment, operating a ship while intoxicated and negligent discharge of oil.
Some witnesses said they had seen her drink vodka in the ship’s bar before the accident, while others did not remind her of her drunkenness or appearance of erratic.
Hazlewood was eventually found guilty of negligent discharge of oil into state waters and was acquitted of the more serious charges.
He was ordered to pay $50,000 in compensation and perform 1,000 hours of community service.
An Alaska jury awarded $5 billion in damages in 1994 to more than 30,000 plaintiffs adversely affected by the accident. The US Supreme Court later reduced that figure to $507 million in 2008.
The disaster prompted the passing of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which gave authorities more power to respond to major spills.
