Opinion ID: 472582
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Crew Negligence

Text: 23 Returning to its wholesale attack on the factual findings made by the district court, Lexington next contends that the district court erred in finding that crew negligence caused the damage to the AMAZON TRADER. This finding was critical to the district court's award of damages for the cost of repairs because the court relied only on the Inchmaree clause of the insurance policy in awarding damages. The Inchmaree clause covers damage to the vessel caused by the negligence of the master, officers, crew, or pilots. Thus, if the damage to the vessel was not the result of crew negligence, the Inchmaree clause does not provide coverage. 24 Lexington again urges us to accept the version of the facts as related by its expert rather than the version related by Austin's expert and accepted by the district court. Again we must decline. Austin's expert testified that the captain of the vessel was negligent in ordering the clutch welded into a solid unit and in continuing to operate the generators with contaminated fuel. Thus, the district court's finding that crew negligence caused the damage to the vessel is entirely plausible and must be upheld on appeal.