Baltimore ferries and water taxis service many in the area, commuting them back and forth on the harbor as well as to and from Cape Clear Island. The water taxis themselves provide a unique and widely used commuter service for those who travel across the harbor for work.
Travelling this unique waterway system, we typically feel comfortable and safe upon these water taxis and ferries. Such may no longer be the case for those in Manhattan though as at least 30 passengers were recently injured as one waterway ferry struck a barge while trying to dock. The boating accident caused a jolt so hard that it threw passengers and crew from their seats and some into walls.
There were many patients strapped into stretchers with their heads and necks immobilized lined up upon the dock while emergency workers checked on and attended to them. It is unknown whether any of the patients were also crew who were injured on the job.
The ferry was a high-end high-speed catamaran within the ferry services fleet. It struck the barge it was passing on its way to docking which caused the rough landing.
The ferry service can now most likely expect an outfall of multiple personal injury lawsuits stemming from the passengers involved in this incident. If crew members were also injured, it may, in addition, be facing multiple workers’ compensation claims depending on the extent and severity of the injury as well as required time off due to the incident.
If you should find yourself in a situation where you were injured in a commercial fishing or boating accident either as a passenger or an employee, please reach out to a Baltimore personal injury or workers’ compensation attorney practiced in those areas. They will be able to assist you in assessing the legal options available to you and your situation.
Source: USA Today, “At least 30 hurt in NYC ferry crash,” John Bacon, Jan. 9, 2013