The Port of Baltimore is one of the busiest on the East Coast, and the Chesapeake carries commercial and recreational traffic year round. The injuries that follow are handled under federal maritime law, which is a different system from the Maryland negligence rules that govern a road collision.
That difference cuts both ways. Some maritime remedies are more generous than a state claim, and some routes close off entirely once a different scheme applies. Working out which one you are in is the first job.
Which law applies to your injury
- Seamen who work aboard a vessel in navigation are covered by the Jones Act, which lets a crew member bring a negligence claim against the employer. Vessel crew, tug and barge crews and similar roles fall here.
- Longshore and harbor workers loading, unloading, repairing or building vessels are generally covered by the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, a federal compensation scheme with its own forum, separate from Maryland workers' compensation.
- Passengers and recreational boaters injured on the water bring ordinary negligence claims, often against a vessel owner or operator. See boating accidents.
- Shoreside workers who are not engaged in maritime employment usually remain in the Maryland workers' compensation system.
The categories overlap at the edges, and the wrong assumption early can cost a claim. This is worth a conversation before anything is filed.
Maritime injuries we handle
- Falls on deck, into holds, and from gangways and ladders
- Crane, container and cargo-handling injuries at the terminals
- Crush and amputation injuries from machinery, lines and equipment
- Being struck by cargo, lines under tension or moving equipment
- Burns and electrocution from engine rooms and shipboard systems
- Drownings and man-overboard incidents, which become wrongful death claims
- Toxic exposure aboard vessels, including asbestos in older ships
The Port of Baltimore and Maryland waters
Our Baltimore office is minutes from the waterfront, and the terminals along the Patapsco and the Chesapeake traffic above and below the Bay Bridge generate most of the maritime work we see. Recreational injuries on the Bay are handled on our boating accident page, and vessel incidents involving bridges and infrastructure are handled with our bridge collapse page.
Maritime claims are often filed in federal court rather than a Maryland circuit court, which changes the timetable and the procedure. We explain where your claim would go before you commit to anything.
Deadlines in maritime claims
Maritime deadlines are their own system and several are shorter than the ordinary Maryland three years. Some claims against vessel owners carry contractual notice periods printed on a ticket, and federal compensation schemes have their own reporting rules that start running from the date of injury or the date it was reported to an employer.
Because the applicable deadline depends on which scheme covers you, do not work from a general rule you read elsewhere. Ask us to check it.
