A seaman is pursuing a personal injury lawsuit against the Steamship Authority (SSA).
According to the complaint filed on June 9 with the U.S. District Court, Keith Maxwell, plaintiff and a seaman who worked for the SSA, was injured while on the job in August 2020 aboard the ferry Nantucket.
Maxwell alleges in the complaint that a hinged deck plate that was “negligently designed, modified, and or maintained,” collapsed under his weight, causing him to fall into the opening above the engine shaft. The fall, he alleges, led to “multiple personal injuries, including a right fibular fracture.”
The complaint says that the SSA failed to maintain a safe working environment on the Nantucket.
Alongside bodily injuries, Maxwell incurred “anguish of mind,” lost wages, medical costs, and other unspecified damages caused by the “unseaworthiness” of the ferry, according to the complaint.
The plaintiff is pursuing “maintenance and cure, together with costs and interest, and if warranted, punitive damages and attorney’s fees in such amount as may be determined by the court.”
The SSA’s answer to the complaint is due on July 7.
“We do not comment on pending litigation,” SSA spokesperson Sean Driscoll said.
When reached by The Times for additional information about the case, Maxwell’s attorney Robert Naumes said “the complaint speaks for itself.”
