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Whether you were an employee who was working on a tugboat, or someone who was impacted by an accident caused by one, you may be entitled to compensation. A California tugboat injury attorney at the Law Offices of Preston Easley, APC can help.
Talk about operators, and those who rely on them for the safe operation of the vessel, can be at risk due to negligent practices. Tugboat companies, and the employees who operate the vessels, may cut corners due to time pressures or profit concerns. The result is that many people can be affected by a tugboat accident.
When you hire a tugboat injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Preston Easley, APC, we can conduct a complete investigation of what happened to help determine your legal options. Schedule a free initial consultation with a California tugboat injury lawyer to learn more about your legal path forward.
Tugboats Serve a Critical Need on the Waterways
Tugboats serve an important purpose on waterways. They are there to guide larger vessels in tight quarters. It is imperative that a tugboat operator properly and carefully perform their duty. The tugboat itself could be involved in an accident, or careless operation of the tugboat could lead to an incident involving a larger vessel. In addition, employees on a tugboat may also be at risk when others on the water fail to exercise due care.
Tugboats are often owned and operated by for-profit companies. These are businesses that have a bottom line to which they need to adhere. These companies often try to cut corners in an attempt to maximize their profits. They may have numerous customers that they need to satisfy, and safety and compliance could get in the way. Accordingly, tugboats may be placed on the water with poor maintenance, and their crews could be forced to work under difficult conditions. These factors raise the risk of serious accidents.
Reasons for Tugboat Accidents
Tugboat accidents may result from a number of reasons, including the following:
- Training: Operating a tugboat is a highly specialized skill that requires extensive training and experience. The operator may hire employees and task them with key responsibilities when they do not have the necessary training to perform them safely.
- Overwork: Tugboat operators often work long shifts under tiring conditions. There are United States Coast Guard regulations that restrict the hours that tugboat crews may work, although these are not always followed.
- Pressure to meet deadlines: Tugboat crews work under immense time pressure, as they may have multiple vessels to guide. They work under busy schedules, and they may cut corners in an attempt to meet them.
- Communication breakdowns: Tugboat crews must coordinate closely with larger vessels that they are guiding. Poor communication can result in errors that lead to serious accidents.
- Mechanical failures: Steering mechanisms, propulsion or towing equipment could break down because they have not been properly maintained by the tugboat operator. Equipment failures could result in a vessel that can lose control or cannot safely guide larger ships.
In addition to causing accidents that result in injuries and damage to other vessels in the water, the tugboat crew itself could be at risk due to conditions. For example, workers may be more likely to slip and fall because of hazardous conditions on deck. The boats themselves may not be properly maintained, leading to equipment that causes injuries to staff. In this case, tugboat workers may be able to file a negligence-based lawsuit against their employer under the Jones Act.
Who Is Responsible for a Tugboat Accident?
Liability is not always entirely apparent in a tugboat accident. While the tugboat operator is often the party who was to blame for the accident, there may be other responsible parties. You may be able to sue the following in a tugboat accident:
- Another vessel may have been the cause of the accident, especially when the tugboat operator needs to take evasive action
- The manufacturer of the tugboat or equipment could be to blame if there was a defect
- A harbor operator could be to blame if the accident resulted from poor traffic management
Multiple parties can be to blame for the tugboat accident. Each of them can be jointly and severally liable for your injuries, so you should name them all in a lawsuit.
Contact a California Tugboat Accident Law Firm Today
Find out about how you may be able to receive compensation for your injuries by speaking with a California tugboat accident lawyer at The Law Offices of Preston Easley, APC. You can schedule a free initial consultation with a tugboat accident attorney by visiting our website or by calling us today at 310-773-5207.
Preston Easley is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. He served five years of active duty as a Naval officer — three years as a deck officer on a fast frigate and two years as a patrol boat skipper. Mr. Easley also served aboard a tank landing ship in the reserves. Learn more here.
