Tacoma Maritime Lawyer

The Port of Tacoma in Washington is large, bustling, and a dangerous place to work. Whether you work on ships that dock in Tacoma or you work in the port and harbor area, you take risks every day to do your job. If you happen to be the victim of an accident at work, you need a good Tacoma maritime lawyer to help you get the compensation you are entitled to under federal law.

What Does a Tacoma Maritime Lawyer Do?

Tacoma maritime lawyers represent people involved in maritime accidents in the area. They specialize in maritime law and are also familiar with the maritime industry in and around Tacoma. Many of their clients are maritime workers who suffered injuries on the job and are entitled to compensation.

The Port of Tacoma

The Port of Tacoma is a busy maritime port, and together with the nearby Port of Seattle, it is one of the country’s most active and productive ports. Located on Puget Sound, Tacoma’s large port is a major shipping and distribution center.

Seattle is the third largest port area in the country, serving as points of departure and entry for container shipping. Tacoma is also home to international shipping facilities, oil refineries, and other industry types.

Common Shore-Based Accidents

If you work in the Port of Tacoma, you may do any number of jobs, from stocking warehouses to operating large container cranes to driving trucks or repairing ships.

All the jobs done in a port area are essential but also hazardous. Accidents are nearly inevitable in this busy workplace, with thousands of moving pieces, toxic chemicals, heavy cargo, and large equipment.

Cargo and Crane Accidents

Some of the common accidents seen in ports include accidents with cranes and other cargo-moving equipment. This heavy-duty equipment is designed to lift vast and unwieldy cargo, including containers. Any misstep, even a small one, can cause cargo and containers to fall, swing, strike, hurt, or even crush a worker to death.

These kinds of accidents happen when workers make errors of judgment, when equipment is not repaired or maintained, or when workers aren’t adequately trained in the proper use of the equipment or safety procedures.

Truck and Vehicle Accidents

Trucks, forklifts, and other vehicles in the port area can also cause accidents. Unlike roads, there are not necessarily any designated lanes or different traffic rules.

Workers must be careful, watch where they are going, and maintain order. If they don’t, they may be struck by a truck or other vehicle and seriously injured.

Falls

Falling is an all-too-common accident in port areas. With containers, cargo, equipment, and machinery crowding the space, trips and falls are common.

Workers may also fall when crossing docks and walkways from ship to shore and back again.

Falls into the water can lead to drowning if no one sees a worker fall or if safety procedures and equipment are not in place to make a quick rescue.

Other Maritime Dangers

Exposure to fires, electrical shocks, and chemicals are other problems that may occur onshore and in ports.

Industrial areas like the Port of Tacoma see chemicals, often toxic or corrosive, go through daily and stored in warehouses. If these are not stored correctly, workers may suffer injuries or illness from exposure.

Electrical shocks and fires can also cause injuries or even deaths in crowded warehouses and places where the electrical systems have not been maintained or repaired.

Examples of Tacoma Maritime Accidents

Even with precautions, port accidents are more common than workers would like. In many cases, accidents could have been prevented.

Better training, more careful cargo treatment, regular equipment maintenance, and good communication between workers can prevent many accidents with consequences ranging from mild to severe and fatal.

Port Fatalities

In March 2013, two such tragic accidents occurred in the Port of Tacoma over two weeks. A 46-year-old mechanic died from blunt force trauma while working on top of one of the large container cranes in the port.

He had been adjusting the wires and ropes to lift containers, a routine job for local mechanics. A few weeks later, another mechanic died in an accident while working on the cranes.

Injuries from Fall

In an example of a much less severe and tragic accident, a longshoreman working in the port’s Husky Terminal was working on lashing containers down when he fell.

It was a genuine accident in that the worker missed a step when climbing up to the deck of a ship. He fell, landed on the deck, and suffered minor injuries. To minimize the aggravation of his injuries, he had to be lifted off the ship with a cargo crane.

Vehicle Crash on Ship

Five longshore workers at the Port of Tacoma were injured in April 2024 when a vehicle crashed on board a docked cargo ship. The ship is a roll-on\roll-off vessel used to transport cars and trucks. All five workers were hospitalized after the accident.

Legal Resources and Compensation for Tacoma Maritime Workers

If you work in the Port of Tacoma, you may face a situation in which you receive an injury. An accident may be caused by negligence, or it may truly be only an accident.

Regardless, you can qualify for compensation under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act.

This federal law guarantees longshoremen the money to cover medical bills and lost wages until they recover enough to return to work. You can also rest assured that should you die on the job; your dependents will be entitled to your benefits.

Whether or not you qualify as a longshoreman is something that a lawyer experienced in maritime law can help you determine.

A good maritime lawyer will also be able to help you file claims, avoid common mistakes, and can represent you in negotiating with your employer, going through arbitration, or even going to trial if it comes to that.

Find the best legal resources, and you will ensure that you get the best possible chance of receiving your compensation.