A man was killed in a tragic and freak accident involving a nearly two-ton boat winch at a Winthrop marina.
Patrick Marino, 73, of Winthrop, was killed about 11 a.m. Monday morning when the winch at Mullins Marine Services Marina came loose and crushed him, authorities said.
The owner of the marina, Helena Mullins, said Marino was helping to launch a boat at the time of the incident.
Authorities are investigating the deadly incident, but a town building official said yesterday that it appears bolts anchoring the machinery might have failed.
Jim Soper, Winthrop’s building official, estimated the winch to weigh about 3,500 pounds. He said the bolts anchoring it to concrete were less than 3 inches in length.
Soper also said there had been no permit pulled for the machinery.
“It’s sad,” he said. “As a community, our condolences are with his family.”
A federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration official said investigators went to the marina Monday to investigate.
There were no reports of violations with OSHA in the last five or six years, the official said.
Man was working as a favor
The owner of the marina, Helena Mullins, said yesterday that the man who was killed was launching the boat from the winch as a favor and did not work there.
Mullin spoke during a brief phone interview.
She said there was no indication that the winch would fail.
“It was instantaneous,” she said.
The boat had come to her marina in the fall, and the man was launching it for the season.
