Cargo ships keep the global economy moving, carrying fuel, food, and consumer goods across oceans every day. Working on these vessels is demanding and dangerous even under the best conditions. But it becomes far more hazardous when vessel owners, operators, or shipping companies cut corners on safety or fail to keep a ship seaworthy.
When cargo is improperly stowed or secured, containers can shift, crush, or pin workers, leading to catastrophic injuries such as amputations or wrongful death. Vessel neglect can also trigger fires, explosions, machinery failures, or even capsizing, leaving injured seamen and their families facing an uncertain future.
At Latti Associates LLC, our Jones Act lawyers have spent decades representing injured crew members and their families after serious cargo ship and container ship accidents. We understand that a cargo vessel accident does not just sideline you from work. It can end a career at sea and put your family’s financial security at risk.
Call (617) 523-1000 to schedule a free, confidential consultation with our maritime law firm.
Our maritime injury attorneys can investigate what happened, identify responsible parties, and pursue the full value of your cargo ship injury claims in negotiations and at trial when necessary.
Every year, cargo ship accidents disrupt lives and careers, leaving maritime workers with serious injuries and heavy losses. Understanding the root causes of these accidents is crucial for building a strong personal injury claim.
Many cargo ship accidents trace back to negligent vessel maintenance and unsafe equipment. When owners fail to maintain winches, cranes, hatch covers, ladders, or other critical gear, crew members are the ones who pay the price. Corroded decks, worn rigging, faulty alarms, and outdated safety systems all increase the risk of a serious commercial ship injury.
Safety on a cargo vessel depends on proper training, clear communication, and orders that put crew members’ lives ahead of speed or profit. Accidents often occur when officers ignore established procedures, push crews to work through fatigue, or direct cargo handling in ways that violate basic safety rules.
A single negligent order can lead to an injury that changes a seafarer’s life.
Cargo ships regularly encounter heavy seas, high winds, and low visibility. When a captain or officer fails to account for weather conditions or makes navigational mistakes, the consequences can be severe. Groundings, collisions, and heavy weather events can cause containers to break loose, injure crew members, and result in cargo ship accident lawsuits involving multiple companies and insurers.
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The International Safety Management (ISM) Code is designed to prevent serious maritime incidents by requiring shipping companies to adopt and follow specific safety and pollution-prevention procedures. When companies ignore their responsibilities by failing to train crews, document safety drills, or properly maintain equipment, they put seafarers at risk.
Under the Jones Act, an employer must provide a reasonably safe place to work and use ordinary care to keep the vessel, its equipment, and operations safe. If employer negligence contributed to your injury, you may be able to seek compensation through the Jones Act.
That could include unsafe work methods, understaffing, inadequate training, or pressure to work too fast during cargo operations.
Not every cargo ship injury is caused solely by the vessel owner or employer. Stevedoring companies, terminal operators, contractors, and other third parties working at the dock or port may share responsibility. A longshoreman injury lawyer can help longshore and harbor workers pursue workers’ compensation and other remedies when third-party negligence plays a role in a cargo or container ship accident.
The steps you take immediately after an incident can have a lasting impact on your health, your legal rights, and your ability to secure fair compensation for your injuries. Maritime law requires prompt reporting, thorough documentation, and timely medical care to protect your claim.
Follow these critical steps to safeguard your well-being and build a strong case for your maritime injury or cargo vessel accident lawsuit.
After any cargo ship or container ship accident, report what happened as soon as you safely can. Make sure the incident is documented accurately and completely, and keep a copy of any written report if possible.
Do not let anyone pressure you to change your account or sign something you do not understand.
Never downplay your symptoms. Report all pain and limitations, and follow through with treatment, whether on board, in a foreign port, or once you return home. Prompt medical care protects your health and creates a clear record that supports your maritime injury claim.
If you are able, take photographs of the scene, the equipment involved, and any visible injuries.
Note weather and sea conditions, the time of day, and what work you were performing. Get the names and contact information of witnesses, including other injured crew members, longshore workers, or port personnel who saw the incident or the unsafe condition.
Cargo ships spend significant time in international waters and foreign ports, but that does not leave injured workers without protection. Maritime law provides several overlapping avenues of seafarer injury compensation and harbor workers’ benefits.
The Jones Act protects seamen who spend a substantial amount of their working time, typically more than 30 percent, aboard a vessel or fleet of vessels in navigation. Suppose employer negligence contributed to your injury while you were performing your job on navigable waters. In that case, you may recover damages for lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and loss of earning capacity through a Jones Act claim.
Separate from the Jones Act, general maritime law requires a vessel owner to provide a seaworthy ship. When a ship is unseaworthy due to defective equipment, inadequate crew, improper training, or dangerous conditions on board, and a crew member is injured as a result, the injured crew member can pursue additional compensation. General maritime law also entitles injured seamen to maintenance and cure, which includes a daily living allowance and payment of reasonable medical expenses until they reach maximum medical improvement.
Longshoremen, harbor workers, and other shore-based maritime employees typically do not qualify as seamen under the Jones Act. Instead, they are protected by the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA). The LHWCA provides wage replacement benefits, medical care, and vocational rehabilitation for qualifying injuries that occur on navigable waters or adjoining areas such as docks, terminals, and loading areas. A knowledgeable LHWCA attorney can help longshore workers and harbor workers pursue the full benefits and any third-party claims they may have.
When a loved one is killed due to a wrongful act, neglect, or default occurring beyond a certain distance from shore, the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) may apply. DOHSA allows eligible family members to pursue financial compensation for losses such as support and services. While no amount of money can replace a spouse, parent, or child, a successful wrongful death claim can help a family stay afloat after a fatal cargo ship or commercial vessel accident.
Injured maritime workers may be able to recover compensation for:
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At Latti Associates LLC, our attorneys bring decades of experience and a deep commitment to helping injured maritime workers and their families achieve justice. With a legacy spanning generations and a national reputation for excellence, we know the challenges you face after a cargo ship or maritime accident.
For generations, Latti Associates LLC has focused on representing injured maritime workers and their families. Our attorneys understand the realities of working life on cargo ships, tankers, container vessels, and in ports, and we know how to prove liability in complex commercial ship injury law cases.
Our firm has recovered multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for seamen, longshore workers, and families following serious cargo ship and shipyard accidents. Insurers and shipping companies know we prepare every case as if it will go to a jury, and that readiness often leads to better offers at the negotiating table.
From the first call, we take on the legal and investigative burden so you can concentrate on medical treatment and your family. We gather records, work with maritime experts, deal with employers and insurers, and guide you through each step of your Jones Act, unseaworthiness, or LHWCA claim. Throughout the process, you stay informed and involved, with a legal team that knows your name and your story.
Speak with a cargo ship accident lawyer at Latti Associates LLC about your options, including cargo ship injury claims, ship accident lawsuits, and seafarer injury compensation.
Contact us online or call our offices at (617) 523-1000 to schedule a free, confidential consultation and learn how we can help protect your rights and your future.
