Veteran longshoreman dies in rare equipment accident at Port of Baltimore
Key Takeaways
- •Maryland Transportation Authority Police and OSHA have opened an investigation into the fatal incident at Dundalk Marine Terminal.
- •David Deon Smith, a 53-year-old member of ILA Local 333, died after being struck by equipment during cargo-handling work.
- •Local reports said a crane boom fell onto Smith while he was performing his duties.
- •The death was the first work-related fatality at the port in 20 years.
- •The accident has refocused attention on safety oversight at terminals that operate heavy machinery and cranes alongside active work zones.
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), underscoring the hazards that can accompany cargo-handling work even at established port facilities.
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. When they arrived, they found that 53-year-old David Deon Smith had been struck by equipment during cargo-handling operations.
Smith, a member of 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.
Colleagues remembered Smith as a gregarious and well-known figure within the ILA community. In a statement, Jonathan Daniels, executive director of the Maryland Port Administration, said ILA members are “the backbone of the Port of Baltimore” and extended condolences to Smith’s family and the broader port community.
The fatality also brings renewed attention to safety oversight at terminals that move a mix of containerized and breakbulk cargo, where heavy machinery, cranes and active work zones operate in close proximity. Dundalk Marine Terminal, operated by Ports America, has 13 berths and four container cranes. The terminal handles 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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