Deadliest Catch Star Reveals What Led To Todd Meadows' Tragic Death

Todd Meadows’ fellow cast member is opening up about what happened the day he died.

As we previously reported, Captain Rick Shelford confirmed earlier this week that the 25-year-old deckhand, the “newest member” of the Deadliest Catch family, passed away while out fishing on the Bering Seas on February 25. The US Coast Guard launched an investigation into the tragedy, revealing that Todd fell overboard the Aleutian Lady boat and was stranded at sea for 10 minutes. When the crew recovered him, he was unresponsive, so they tried to resuscitate him. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful. Now, a fellow deckhand is revealing what led to Todd’s death.

Trey John Green III claimed to Page Six on Friday that the notoriously treacherous water of the Bering Seas was surprisingly “calm” that day, even though it was “only a degree or two above freezing.” According to Green, many of the crew members took turns getting into the pots — baited, rigid traps used to catch shellfish — to go through the crabs retrieved from the ocean, including Meadows. None of them was wearing a lifejacket at the time, per Green.

He claimed Todd was inside one of the pots when it went “over the rail” and back into the water. When that happened, Green recalled other crew members had screamed, adding:

“It’s one of those things that none of us really understand. I don’t know what happened. So that’s what Todd was doing. The pot is sitting in the launcher, and Todd was actually inside the pot.”

Green explained that Todd was “in the right place at the right time” and “doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing” when the accident occurred. He continued:

“We’re like, ‘Holy crap, he’s gonna sink to the bottom. We’re not gonna have any way to get this pot back up.’”

Green said he immediately ran to the back of the boat, climbed on top of the pots, and spotted Todd in the water:

“Somehow, some way, I don’t know — he was a fighter because he made it out of that pot.”

Todd allegedly was “swimming” and “trying to hang in there.” However, we all know what happened afterward. He, unfortunately, didn’t make it. Green alleged Meadows was in the water for only “three or four minutes” before their rescue swimmer, Steve Porter, got his “lifeless” body back on the boat, and they spent the next “half hour, 45 minutes” trying to resuscitate him.

Green noted the crew was about “12 hours away” from Dutch Harbor when they exhausted all their options to save Todd, which included performing CPR and using a defibrillator. Once they realized he was gone, Green said they decided to wrap his body in a tarp, place it in the freezer to preserve it, and head back into town:

“Everybody did everything they could do.”

How sad…

Green went on to say that “everything” that occurred on the boat was caught on camera by the Discovery Channel for the reality series. A rep for the network didn’t confirm the claim to Page Six but said:

“This remains an active US Coast Guard investigation. We are assisting in their efforts and cannot comment at this time.”

If his death was caught on camera, his mom, Angela Meadows, made it clear that she never wants the footage to see the light of day. Whether they respect those wishes, we’ll see. Meanwhile, a rep for the US Coast Guard said in response to Green’s story that they are“investigating the case to determine the causes and provide the necessary feedback to prevent similar accidents from reoccurring.” The organization continued:

“The Coast Guard Investigating Officer is currently working with a team of qualified marine casualty investigators to compile evidence. The Investigating Officer will then create an official account and timeline of the incident to determine: (1) the cause or contributing factors, (2) evidence of misconduct or negligence, (3) whether there was a failure of material, and (4) if any personnel from the Coast Guard or other government agency caused or contributed to the cause of the incident. This process is vital to drawing accurate conclusions and initiating any necessary corrective actions to prevent similar accidents and casualties from occurring in the future.”

The rep noted “findings will not be disclosed while the case is open” and that the USCG “does not assign a timeline for completing an investigation.”

It is such a heartbreaking situation as he leaves behind two young children. Our hearts continue to go out to them.

[Image via Trey John Green III/Todd Meadows/Facebook]