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Seattle Boat Gangway Injury Attorneys

Kraft Palmer Davies, PLLC, is a valuable resource for injured seamen and their families seeking to bring claims under the Jones Act and general maritime law for injuries sustained while attempting to board or disembark vessels on a gangway, ladder, or brow. Under the Jones Act and general maritime law, a vessel owner has a duty to seamen to furnish safe egress and ingress to the vessel. This means that the vessel must provide access that is reasonably safe. Gangways that are icy, too steep, slippery, defective, or otherwise unsafe violate a vessel owner's duty to a seaman attempting to gain access to the vessel.

Because we are experts in maritime injury cases, we understand maritime law and the equipment that seaman use in their work. We consult with the best expert witnesses in the maritime and fishing industries to aggressively prosecute claims against vessel owners and employers for unsafe working conditions, including unsafe gangways and ladders. By working hard to prepare our cases, we maximize the value of your claim and help you begin to put your life back together after a serious injury.

If you were injured or if a loved one was killed in a boat accident involving a defective, inadequate or poorly maintained gangway or ladder, contact the law offices of Kraft Palmer Davies, PLLC, to schedule a free consultation.

Case example: Our law firm represented a blue-water seaman who sustained a serious lower back injury when a defective step ladder supplied by his employer collapsed and he fell to the steel deck. By failing to properly inspect the ladder before putting it into service and supplying a ladder that was defective, his employer was negligent and the ladder was unseaworthy. Our law firm helped him obtain compensation to cover back surgery, other medical expenses and recuperation until he was able to return to work and transition to lighter duties.

Personalized Attention With an Aggressive Approach to Your Case

At Kraft Palmer Davies, PLLC, we carefully screen every personal injury case, choosing to devote our resources to the clients whom we can help. As experts in maritime injury law, we have experience in the prosecution of claims involving access, gangway, stair, and ladder injuries on vessels, piers, and in other maritime settings.

Sometimes settlement is the best resolution in a maritime injury case. Nonetheless, our Seattle boat gangway injury lawyers prepare every injury claim as if for trial. It is only when your case is prepared for trial and the insurance company understands that a verdict is likely that maximum compensation will be paid on your claim.

Contact Our King County Vessel Boarding Accident Lawyers

For more information or to schedule an appointment with an experienced attorney regarding a case that involves maritime law, admiralty law or other workplace personal injury cases, please contact us.

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Verdicts & Settlements
  • $12,327,883 Verdict for scalping injury in a premises liability case. Another $1,000,000 in pre-trial settlements.
  • $10,720,077 Verdict in premises liability case. Another $4,300,000 in pre-trial settlements.
  • $7,500,000 Settlement for cardiopulmonary injury resulting in product liability claim.
  • $4,580,000 Settlement for quadriplegia from a Jones Act / maritime injury.
  • $4,000,000 Settlement for cardiopulmonary injury resulting in product liability claim.
  • $2,400,000 Settlement after two days of trial for the family of a chief mate who drowned after falling into an unmarked opening on a barge.
  • $2,372,323 Verdict in favor of Washington State Ferry vessel oiler who developed fibromyalgia as a result of injuries suffered while attempting to transfer bags of sand up a vertical ladder out of the vessel's bilge. It is believed to be the largest fibromyalgia verdict in the nation.
  • $1,600,000 Settlement in maritime case involving loss of arm below elbow.
  • $1,600,000 Settlement for commercial truck driver who sustained a below-the-knee amputation of his leg at a port when a load of pipe collapsed on him as his truck was being unloaded.
  • $1,415,743 Verdict in maritime personal injury case for loss of eyesight in one eye.
  • $1,156,000 Settlement for stroke resulting in product liability claim.
  • $1,100,000 Verdict in favor of three Washington State Ferry employees who had suffered occupational asthma as a result exposure to chlorine gas. This is believed to be one of the largest verdicts in the country for occupational asthma.
  • $1,000,000 Settlement for cardiac injury resulting in product liability claim.
  • $1,000,000 Settlement in construction negligence case involving electrocution.
  • $900,000 Settlement of bad faith claim against insurance company for failing to pay policy limits on behalf of its insured who had negligently injured clients in automobile collision.
  • $825,000 Settlement for injured tug seaman who sustained a career-ending injury to both wrists after the tug ran aground.
  • $806,361 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $800,000 Settlement in construction equipment failure case involving femur fracture and spinal compression fractures.
  • $780,991 Verdict in favor of Washington State Ferry ordinary seaman who suffered disabling back injury as a result of a defective buffer she was required to operate.
  • $750,000 Brain injury to an iron worker when a steel truss fell from overhead due to unsafe erection techniques.
  • $750,000 Settlement in pedestrian injury case involving closed head injury.
  • $740,000 Settlement in favor of fishing processor who had cargo fall onto in cargo hold resulting in pelvic fractures and other serious injuries.
  • $705,000 Settlement for tug seaman who injured back while attempting to untangle boom chains while working on a log raft.
  • $675,000 Settlement in favor of tugboat engineer injured as a result of defective cable and work methods used aboard a barge.
  • $656,786 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $650,000 Settlement in construction site negligence case involving cervical discectomy, rotator cuff repair, and post-traumatic stress disorder
  • $611,243 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $580,759 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $572,692 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $570,000 Settlement on behalf of tugboat deckhand who had developed psychogenic tremors as a result of traumatic shoulder and neck injuries while hauling in trailing line on a barge.
  • $567,000 Settlement in favor of a crab fisherman who suffered serious leg fractures as a result of an 800 crab pot falling on him.
  • $558,654 Verdict in favor of tugboat chief mate who had fallen between two barges into Puget Sound as a result of vessel owner and employer's violation of 46 U.S.C. § 8104(h)(12-hour rule) and developed post-traumatic stress disorder
  • $551,721 Settlement for cardiac injury in product liability claim.
  • $550,000 Settlement for shoulder injury and collar bone fracture after a motorcycle injury in a crash on Interstate 5.
  • $550,000 Shoulder injury to iron worker when the worker fell through a roof due to improper procedures and lack of adequate fall protection.
  • $500,000 Injury to shoulder of Washington State ferry employee from slipping on ice on stairs.
  • $500,000 Settlement in favor of Alaska Marine Highway assistant engineer who had fallen into an unmarked opening on a city dock and suffered a knee injury which prevented his return to marine employment.
  • $500,000 Settlement in favor of a Washington State Ferry quartermaster who suffered disabling injuries after falling into an open hatch. A lawsuit had been filed against the Washington State Ferry system and the vendor who was working in the hatch.
  • $500,000 Settlement for woman who sustained mild traumatic brain injury in a motor vehicle collision.
  • $477,000 Injury to seaman after falling from an unsafe ladder resulting in urethral transection, scrotal contusion, and erectile dysfunction.
  • $450,000 Shoulder injury and multiple fractures caused by head-on motor vehicle collision.
  • $450,000 Settlement in construction equipment failure case involving cervical burst fracture.
  • $450,000 Settlement in favor of construction worker who fell off roof and sustained back and ankle fractures.
  • $450,000 Settlement for injured chief engineer on tug after fell down defective tug ladder and sustained injuries that led to a cervical fusion.
  • $420,000 Knee injury to barge tankerman after slipping on a oily mat.
  • $420,000 Settlement for injured barge tankerman who slipped on oil and injured his knee and lower back.
  • $400,000 Injury to the shoulder of a tug deckhand when a towing line was pulled in an unsafe manner.
  • $400,000 Wrongful death of truck driver caused by accidental overdose of pain medication.
  • $400,000 Settlement for woman injured in the produce section of a large grocery retailer when a defective produce sprinkler sprayed water on the floor. Plaintiff sustained severe knee injury that led to multiple surgeries.
  • $400,000 Settlement for severe ankle and foot fractures from a fall off an unsecured ladder while attempting to board a fishing vessel in dry dock.
  • $400,000 Settlement for injury to cruise ship passenger when cruise line failed to monitor sauna and passenger lost consciousness.
  • $399,496 Verdict in favor of a construction worker in Eastern Washington for knee injury that resulted from the unsafe operation of a forklift.
  • $380,799 Verdict for chief engineer on tug following lower back injury while repairing an unseaworthy appliance on the tug.
  • $380,000 Settlement in favor of injured Washington State Ferry employee who was hit in the chest with a mooring line.
  • $350,000 Injury on a tug boat caused by an unsafe fixed ladder resulting in hip replacement.
  • $305,000 Verdict in favor of fish processor for knee injury sustained when a box fell off a conveyor belt in Dutch Harbor.
  • $300,000 Settlement in unguarded ladder claim involving cervical and thoracic burst fractures.
  • $300,000 Settlement in maritime / Jones Act injury claim involving loss of three toes.
  • $300,000 Verdict in favor of an oil barge tankerman who suffered injury as a result of barge owner's failure to adequately mark an angle iron which supported spill rail on the oil barge.
  • $295,226 Verdict in favor of Washington State Ferry concessionaire who suffered lumbar spine injury with resulting fusion as a result of attempting to loosen beer keg tap which was frozen in closed position.
  • $290,000 Settlement for injured construction worker who fell through an unmarked hole in the floor that was covered with an unsecured piece of plywood.
  • $289,000 Verdict against American Seafoods Company for knee injury to fish processor caused by unsafe conveyor belt.
  • $280,621 Verdict in premises liability case involving meniscus tear in the knee.
  • $260,000 Settlement for electrical death caused to concrete pump truck driver on a construction site.
  • $255,000 Back injury to tug worker attempting to correct an unsafe condition caused by a hydraulic fluid leak.
  • $255,000 Injury to shoulder of Washington State ferry employee from unsafe tie-up line.
  • $250,000 Arm fracture to deckhand working on factory trawler in the Bering Sea.
  • $250,000 Head and neck injury to a cruise ship employee hit by an object falling from an upper deck.
  • $250,000 Back injury to fish processor when he slipped and fell down defective stairs on vessel.
  • $250,000 Settlement with Washington State ferries for injury to able- bodied seaman's shoulder, neck, and upper back while attempting to pull a stuck car block out from a vehicle on the car deck.
  • $230,000 Settlement for driver who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury following a head-on collision
  • $225,000 Shoulder injury to ferry worker after slipping on oil.
  • $220,000 Settlement for injured tug chief engineer who was hit with a parted tow wire and sustained a mild traumatic brain injury.
  • $200,000 Settlement against U.S. Navy for injury to welder who stepped into an unguarded hole in the flight deck of a naval destroyer.
  • $200,000 Fractures to the foot of a deckhand working on a factory trawler when object fell on foot.
  • $200,000 Settlement for bicycle rider who sustained pelvic fractures when dog knocked him off bicycle.
  • $200,000 Settlement for tug mate who sustained a lower back injury while attempting to pull a line stuck in a bow pud.
  • $200,000 Settlement for combi on a fishing vessel who sustained severe foot fractures when a large engine part was negligently dropped on his foot by co-workers.
  • $186,514 Verdict in favor of Washington State Ferry ordinary seaman who suffered knee injury tripping on a mat which had corner curled upward resulting in trip hazard.
  • $175,000 Settlement for wrist fracture caused by head-on motor vehicle collision.
  • $175,000 Settlement for a passenger on a cruise ship who sustained a serious knee and neck injury when she fell on broken plates that were not properly secured in bad weather.
  • $162,500 Settlement in favor of fisherman injured when he was stabbed by another member of the crew.
  • $150,000 Settlement for engineer on a tender vessel who sustained eye injury when a marine battery exploded in his face.
  • $135,000 Settlement for ankle fracture in motor vehicle collision.
  • $125,000 Settlement with Washington State Ferries following right shoulder injury while attempting to secure a rescue boat.
  • $100,000 Multiple rib fractures sustained by motorcyclist in a motor vehicle collision.
  • $88,000 Settlement for leg fracture involving an unguarded conveyor belt.
Contact Us

Kraft Palmer Davies, PLLC
1001 Fourth Avenue
Suite 4131
Seattle, WA 98154
Phone: 206-624-8844
Toll Free: 800-448-8008
Fax: 206-624-2912
Seattle Law Office