MERRY SHIPPING COMPANY, INC. v. Sparks

Birdsong, Judge.

Captain James Otis Sparks went down with his barge, the “Royal Lady,” when it sank in. Port Royal Sound at approximately 3:15 a. m. on January 9, 1978, in freezing water and rough weather. Appellee Mildred Elaine Sparks filed a complaint in the Superior Court of Chatham County as personal representative of the estate of James Otis Sparks under the Jones Act (46 U. S. C. § 688), for damages arising out of Sparks’ death. Appellant Merry Shipping Company (Merry) answered as owner of the barge, denying that appellee Sparks was a duly qualified personal representative or had…