Please send pictures and stories of your experiences with Loren Collins, to be included in his websites, to the following email address, and join in Loren's children's fight to bring his killers to justice.  webmaster@lorencollins.com

The Fort Pierce Police Department has mysteriously, against all evidece to the contrary, closed Loren's case., calling it an "industrial accident".

The police detectives downgraded Loren's killing from a "traffic accident", which could have been issued a ticket anyway, an "Industrial Accident".  What about manslaughter, criminal negligence, negligent homicide?  Are these terms just reserved for "Court TV'?

A bill of $135 was sent for the boat washing that killed my Father that day.  Mom paid it.

Isn't
"industrial accident" a term  that's  just used for the establishment's employees?  Can their customers now,  be killed and just written off that way too?  Marina's have power with their customers because they can for no valid reason, kick a customer and his boat out of his slip or the marina's yard, if it's drydocked.  Mom and Dad were told that Harbortown had exercised that practice a few times.  Like the other residents, they were afraid to upset Harbortown Marina's Inc.  Can you imagine that now service businesses can wield such power with their customers?

Maybe  we Boaters and Customers need to form a
Customer's Union.

I believe nothing and no one, can stop the collective power of people working together for a good cause. Action starts with just one voice.

My Dad saved my life so many times.  Now I pay him back.

Marina's have traditionally been dangerous places, and have often gotten away with very questionable behavior,  leaving their insurance companies to clean up the mess.  On May 12th at 11:45am Dad was pitched from the metal building which he was standing back to, watching the oncoming travelift.  He had to make a 90degree turn counte-clockwise  to fall the way that the autopsy photos showed he feel.  The police report was wrong.  The driver said Dad was standing with his back to the west side of the building, as the lift moved toward the pier, and Dad went out of sight. He was on the walkway and in the way of Kelmer Story, the spotter.   Dad had a huge bruise on his right elbow.  Kelmer Story, the spotter said he felt something hit his leg, and turned around and saw the travelift on Dad's leg.  The police photos show that that could not be true.  Billy Sisco the driver, said he heard Kelmer yelling before he ran over Dad.  Billy said that if he'd been able to stop on a dime, he wouldn't have hit Dad. He said that when he tried to slam the brakes on after hearing the yelling, the boat started swinging side to side in the straps of the lift and the momentum carried him forward. I witnessed another sailboat in a travelift swaying in it's straps upon braking, recently. The police report made no sense because Dad would have had to have suddenly turned his back on the on the spotter and the oncoming travelift carrying his own boat.   He never would have done that.   He fell just after the Kelmer, the spotter passed him, because Kelmer said he felt something on the back of his leg. 

Harbortown uses only one spotter, other marinas use two - one front and one back. Also other marinas give their employees freedom to take lunch when they finish the job. Harbortown demands that everyone go at 12 noon and those that cannot leave their projects lose that lunch.. 

One desk leg is bent, and the desk is is freshly painted red, there's a paint brush under the desk and a fresh red paint glob on the water hose.

The rag I wrapped Dad's bone in has blue paint on it, the same color as the lift.  I found the bone shard in the still bloody indentation, a few days after he was killed.

The blood and bone scrapes on the right front tire, are deep  indicating a low crush of Dad's leg.

I observed a worker turning off the two large spigots and locking the doors of the metal building after using the water, a few day later.  Why lock?  Certainly not for anyone to steal water. There's a rusty hole for the hoses to come out of when the buildings doors are closed anyway.. The building was called the office.

Dad's body acceped 6 and ah hlf pints of blood befor his heart gave out, he was competely white, and drained.in the hospital.  His face and body swollen from IV saline solution.  He bled to death.  I'm trying to find out how long that takes.  There are two spurt on the wall of the building , one thin one high and then a huge one low.  The ground was soaked so much with blood that days later it was red.  The Ft. Pierce Police Chief said to let my father rest in peace.  I suppose he meant let the Ft. Pierce Police Department "rest in peace".  My father isn't, and I'm not.

Tha travelift is a great concept, but fraught with huge danger,
since with the model that crushed my father, the driver cannot see around
what he's carrying.  One spotter, of unknown origin, is NOT enough safeguard,
for such a mamouth, hard to stop piece of equipment. Just common sense. 
Even the US Govt. has
three branches for safety.  Checks and Balances. 
Of course legislation has to be changed before a Marina will change their practice. 
Check out the OSHA records for the Ft. Pierce and Cape Canaveral branches of
Harbortown Marinas.  Lots of heavy equipment violations for Cape Canaveral but
nada for Ft. Pierce.  Is the regional OSHA for Ft. Pierce, negligent also?


We boaters and their families, bear the heartache of marinas' carelessness's.
No amount of money can ever replace my Father, or wipe away the bloody horror of his death from my dreams.. 

I have nightmares every night, of my sweet Dad struggling to cap off his almost severed leg, to stop the spurting of his life's blood.  "Daddy's hands", that so often cared for me and strongly grabbed me and saved my life so many times, couldn't save his own.

Please email or write your requests for further investigation of
Loren Robert Collins' killing on May 12th, 2003,

by the driver, spotter, and the travelift carrying Loren's

own  beloved "Archimedes" Crealock 34',


i
n Harbortown Marina, Ft. Pierce, Florida. 

Please send written requests to:
Chief Eugene Savage
Ft. Pierce Police Department
P.O. Box 1149
Ft. Pierce, Fl. 34954-1149

email requests for reinvestigation of Loren's murder to:

t
he St. Lucie County State's Attorney,

the Florida State State's Attorney,

Governor Jeb Bush of Florida,

and the Florida State Supreme Court

                         


Please send pictures and stories of your experiences with Loren, to be included in his websites, to webmaster@lorencollins.com 

To know Loren was to love him.

Keeping his memory alive , and those of other men like him, in a small way, insures the future development of good, strong men.

Loren stood for loyalty, fairness,  the power of the curious mind and tireless

research, learning from the past, perservernce and hard work, humility,

mentoring and teaching of others through words and example, kindness,

endless helpfulness, and his dry gentle sense of humor.  Loren kept watch on the stars, built on the past, and  looked toward the future. 
Loren has often been described as "brilliant" and a "true gentleman". 
He'd be puzzled and pleased to hear himself be called both.

  

May the wind be at your back,and God be with you in all your travels.

Please, keep checking www.lorencollins.com for new additions to Loren's loves and life.
Double click this picture to go to the Wedding.
Loren's youngest grandchild, Edward Loren, was married to Xenia on May 8th, 2004, by Monseignor Zorbach at St. Philip Neri.

There was an empty seat in on the pew next to his Grandmother, and in all our hearts.  Loren and Mary Jane would have been married sixty years, in January 2004.  Loren's grandson's wedding  was the first big event in his grandchildren's lives that he missed.  Why?
Double click advertisement to remove and, Click picture for larger view.
Captain Loren

Mom Sailing

Jim on the bow

Archimedes

Jim and Ed in Freeport

Jim-Ed, Mom-Dad
in Freeport

Jim-Ed&Jenny
Rib Fest


Carrie on the deck
in Kitty Hawk

Ian's Eyes

www.lorencollins.com
Click for larger view.
Loren's Beloved Archimedes, a Crealock 34
click here to go to the wedding:  sixtyyearsinlove.com
Loren Robert Collins on May 29th, 2002
Discrepancies in the Fort Pierce Police Report

Police Report                                                                Billy Sisco and John Morgan's Statements