Tug and Barge Injuries

Puget Sound and the Inland Passage up to Alaska are national scenic treasures and flourishing hubs of maritime activity. With busy international ports and an active oil industry, our waterways are home to a robust history of skilled tug workers who have labored to protect shipping in Puget Sound and the Inland Passage up to Alaska for decades. Ships from all over the world depend on Seattle-based tug workers to guide them to and from busy ports, to tow goods and products, to protect our coastline from oil spills, and to assist in major construction projects all over the Pacific Rim.

Because tug crews work on vessels on navigable waters of the United States, they are not covered by any state workers' compensation laws and must seek recovery for injuries at work under the Jones Act, 46 U.S.C. §30104, or general maritime law. The Jones Act is a federal act that provides to seamen injured through negligence the same rights as railroad employees under the Federal Employees' Liability Act (45 U.S.C. §51, et. seq.); Evich v. Connelly, 759 F.2d 1432, 1433 (9^th Cir. 1985). Under the general maritime law, a tug seaman may also seek recovery for unseaworthiness if a piece of a vessel's equipment is not reasonably fit for its intended use. Mitchell v. Trawler Racer, Inc., 362 U.S. 539, 542, 80 S. Ct. 926, 4 L. Ed. 2d 941 (1960); Ribitzki v. Canmar Reading & Bates, Ltd. 111 F3d 658 (9^th Cir. 1997); Lee v. Pacific Far East Line, Inc., 566 F2d 65 (9^th Cir. 1977).

For decades, our lawyers have proudly represented hundreds of skilled tug workers from a variety of tug companies throughout Puget Sound and Alaska, including Foss Maritime Company, Crowley Maritime Corporation, Dunlap Towing Company, Island Tug & Barge Company, Olympic Towing, Seacoast Towing Company and Fremont Tugboat Company, Inc. Court cases that have been reported where our lawyers have represented the injured seaman include Lipscomb v. Foss Maritime Company, 83 F.3^rd 1106 (9^th Cir. 1996); Elms v. Crowley Marine Services, 1997 A.M.C. 835 (W.D. Wa. 1996); Sugden v. Puget Sound Tug & Barge, 796 F.Supp. 455 (W.D. Wa. 1992). We represented four tug crewmembers in a successful salvage case against their employer in Bartholomew v. Crowley Marine Services, 337 F.3d 1083 (9^th Cir. 2003).

Because of our vast experience with the towing industry, our attorneys know their way around a tug, understand the issues, and know how to aggressively prosecute a claim to seek full and fair recoveries for tug workers. We are proud to have helped hundreds of injured tug workers and their families begin the healing process. By obtaining full and fair compensation for our clients, we are proud to promote a safer towing industry.