Todd Meadows’ mom says the Deadliest Catch star was put on medical leave just one month before his death at age 25.
Angela Meadows told TMZ on Wednesday, March 4, that her son was hit in the head about one month ago while onboard his ship. Following his injury, Todd was checked out by a doctor, which is the crew’s protocol.
Angela explained that a medical professional determined Todd sustained a concussion and he flew back home to Washington to recover. According to Angela, that was the last time Todd’s family saw him before he died.
“The last photo I got of him was when he was building a fire,” she told the outlet. “He was listening to music in the moment and was so happy. That’s how I want to remember him.”
Angela shared that Todd was cleared by the doctor to return to work and her son was excited to get back. She added that the family does not blame Deadliest Catch for Todd’s concussion. (There is no indication that the concussion played a factor in Todd’s death.)
News broke earlier this week that Todd died while working as a deckhand on the Aleutian Lady fishing vessel, which has been featured on the hit Discovery Channel series.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows,” a spokesperson for the network told TMZ on Monday, March 2. “This is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time.”
The Aleutian Lady’s Captain Rick Shelford paid tribute to Todd, who was a new member of the ship’s crew.
“His love for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone’s respect right away,” Shelford wrote via Facebook on Sunday, March 1. “His smile was contagious, and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always.”
TMZ previously reported that Todd died due to a “fishing incident.” It was later revealed that Todd fell overboard. The Coast Guard at the Arctic District command center in Juneau, Alaska, was notified of the incident and attempted to get Todd back on board. Todd was found unresponsive by the Coast Guard.
“He was recovered unresponsive by the crew approximately 10 minutes later,” a rep for the Coast Guard told Us on Tuesday, March 3, adding that attempts to revive Todd were “unsuccessful.”
The Coast Guard is currently investigating the incident.
Todd’s’ bunkmate Trey John Green III claimed to Us earlier this week that the incident was caught on camera while filming season 22 of Deadliest Catch.
“Discovery is done filming, but there was a producer and a deck cam guy on the boat for the past two months filming for season 22 of the show,” he alleged to Us. “It was filmed, unfortunately.”
Andrea also expressed her and the family’s wishes for Discovery Channel to not air any footage from Todd’s fatal incident.
“We don’t want to see any footage from the accident and do not want Discovery to air any of that footage or make money off of our son’s death,” she told TMZ. “We hope they only air good things of Todd on that boat.”
