Fisherman Sues RI Boat Owners - Claims “Violent Maneuver” Caused Serious Injuries

Fisherman Sues RI Boat Owners - Claims “Violent Maneuver” Caused Serious Injuries

Working on a commercial fishing boat is one of the most dangerous professions in America.

So far in 2026, two commercial fishing boats, the Lily Jean and the Yankee Rose, have been lost in Massachusetts waters. The 72-foot Lily Jean sank off Gloucester on January 30, killing all seven aboard, while the Yankee Rose, based in New Bedford, capsized off Provincetown on March 5, with one person dead and one missing, prompting the Coast Guard to suspend the search. 

Now, a deckhand on a Rhode Island fishing boat has sued the owners of a Rhode Island-based vessel in U.S. federal district court in Providence, claiming that he was significantly injured on the job last fall. 

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He contends the boat and its owners did not provide “a reasonably safe and seaworthy vessel by maintaining an unsafe method of operation and unsafe method of work, including by permitting abrupt maneuvering without adequate warning to crew working on deck.”

Commercial fishing is the second-deadliest industry in America. Only logging is more dangerous, with 98.9–110.4 deaths per 100,000. Commercial fishing is close behind at 86.9–88.8 deaths per 100,000.

In the 17-page complaint filed this week in United States District Court, Aziz Bensouda - who is being represented by Newport attorney John Fulweiler  - says that he was a deckhand on the trawler-style fishing vessel “Relentless” for nearly two decades.

Relentless is homeported in North Kingstown, according to the lawsuit.

Bensouda says that in November 2025, he was “performing his assigned duties when the vessel made a sudden, unannounced and violent turning maneuver, causing a severe traction-type injury to his left arm.”  The lawsuit claims he continues to need significant medical treatment.

He is also suing “Seafreeze Fleet, LLC,” which he says is the parent company. 

“These were preventable injuries. As the working head of a family he supports, Aziz [Bensouda] now faces serious uncertainty about his ability to continue earning a living and providing for his household in the years ahead. He also reasonably fears that the injuries will have lasting and progressive effects, including ongoing pain, diminished strength and reduced physical capacity over time,” states the lawsuit.

GoLocal reached out to Seafreeze for comment and received no response at the time of publication.

 

Allegations in Focus

In the lawsuit, Bensouda says he “sustained injuries including a complete rupture of the distal triceps tendon of his left elbow, resulting in immediate and significant pain and loss of function.”

According to the lawsuit, Bensouda “promptly reported his injuries to the captain, but he was rebuffed and ordered back to work. He attempted to comply, reported his injuries again, and again was ordered to continue working until the pain became unbearable and he retreated to his bunk.”

Bensouda claims that after Limitless returned to Rhode Island, he “promptly sought medical care, was declared unfit for duty,  underwent surgery and physical therapy, and continues to receive treatment” for his injury. 

Now, Bensouda says as the “working head of a family he supports, [he] now faces serious uncertainty about his ability to continue earning a living and providing for his household in the years ahead.”

Bensouda is filing the lawsuit under the “special rule for seamen [sic] to sue without security and prepayment of fees” under the United States Code, the official compilation of all permanent federal laws passed by Congress. 

 

Claims

In his lawsuit, he is asserting “unseaworthiness” claims, a Jones Act negligence claim for failure to provide a reasonably safe place to work, and other claims.

The Jones Act is the dominant law dictating the regulatory structure of U.S. maritime activities.

Bensouda seeks damages and payment of healthcare costs.