The incident at the Dundalk Marine Terminal has prompted an investigation by Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
According to the MDTA, officers were called to the terminal shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday in response to a report of an injured worker. Upon arrival, they found 53-year-old David Deon Smith had been struck by equipment during cargo-handling operations.
Smith, a member of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Local 333, was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead despite life-saving efforts by first responders.
Local media reported that a crane boom fell onto Smith while he was performing his duties. It was the first work-related fatality at the port in 20 years.
Smith was remembered by colleagues as a gregarious and well-known figure within the ILA community. In a statement, Jonathan Daniels, executive director of the Maryland Port Administration, called ILA members “the backbone of the Port of Baltimore” and extended condolences to Smith’s family and the entire port community.
Operated by Ports America, Dundalk has 13 berths and four container cranes, handling containers, ro-ro, wood pulp, steel, breakbulk, and project cargo.
FreightWaves has reached out to Ports America for comment.
Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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