Two sailors were killed and 19 crew members injured, several critically, after a Mexican navy tall ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge while maneuvering in turbulent waters, The Associated Press reports. The 300-foot Cuauhtemoc, a Mexican navy training ship, was captured in multiple videos on social media as its 147-foot-tall masts struck the lower side of the Brooklyn Bridge the night of May 17. Members of the ship’s crew were harnessed to the masts as part of a celebratory performance they put on whenever the ship enters or leaves a port.
Ongoing Investigation into Cause of the Accident
Footage shot by onlookers show the ship hurtling into the bridge in reverse at full speed, suggesting the captain lost control of the engine, AP reports. There were a number of adverse conditions that may have led to this fatal accident including the ship’s height, a strong current, heavy wind and the absence of a more controlled tugboat escort, which should have been rigged to the ship or stayed with it until it headed out to sea, based on the report.
The AP identified one of the sailors as America Yamilet Sanchez, 20, who died after falling from one of the ship’s masts. The ship visited New York as part of a 15-nation global goodwill tour and was departing the city when it struck the bridge. Mayor Eric Adams said the bridge escaped major damage, but that at least 19 of the 277 crew members aboard the ship needed medical treatment. Two of the four people who suffered serious injuries, including Sanchez, succumbed to their injuries. Investigators are looking into whether the Mexican crew performed the recommended safety checks before their departure.
The Role of Negligence (Carelessness) in Personal Injury Cases
Negligence plays a central role in most personal injury cases. It refers to a failure to exercise reasonable care, resulting in harm to another person. In legal terms, proving negligence is essential for an injured party or the plaintiff to hold the at-fault party or the defendant legally responsible for their injuries.
To establish negligence (carelessness), four key elements must be proven: Duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and damages. First, the defendant must have owed a legal duty to the plaintiff. Second, the defendant must have breached that duty by acting carelessly or failing to act. Third, the breach must have directly caused the plaintiff’s injury. Finally, the plaintiff must have suffered actual harm such as physical injury, medical bills or lost wages.
Negligence (carelessness) can apply in a wide range of situations — car accidents, boat accidents, slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents, construction accidents, medical malpractice, etc. If negligence is proven, the defendant will be required to compensate the injured party for their losses.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Injured accident victims may be able to seek compensation for damages including but not limited to medical expenses, lost income and benefits, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families of deceased accident victims may also be able to seek compensation by filing a wrongful death claim against the at-fault parties.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a boating accident, or if you have lost a loved one in an accident caused by a negligence (carelessness), the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
For over 53 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. We recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-bridge-collision-mexican-navy-ship-6ef40ec8f9504f5ca18241eb79d197cc