Kreindler Monitoring Fatal Mexican Navy Tall Ship Brooklyn Bridge Collision on New York’s East River
May 18, 2025
What Happened
The Cuauhtémoc, a Mexican Navy training tall ship
On Saturday, May 17, 2025, at approximately 8:26 p.m., the tall ship Cuauhtémoc, a Mexican Navy training vessel struck the Brooklyn Bridge on the Manhattan side of the East River in New York City, New York, killing two people onboard and injuring about two dozen others. FDNY officials reported that there were 277 people on the boat and that 27 people were removed for emergency medical treatment. The Mexican ship had arrived in New York Harbor earlier in the week for a scheduled visit to Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. According to Fox News, NYPD officials said the ship had just left Pier 17 and was supposed to have been headed out to sea (reportedly to Iceland), not toward the bridge. The ship departed with both a pilot and assistance from the tugboat, Charles D McAllister (owned byMcAllister Towing & Transportation Company, Inc.)
The focus, like any major marine casualty, is going to be the man, the machine and the environment. I think the NTSB in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard and potentially the Mexican government, will be looking at what operational issues might have led to the allision.
Preliminary Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Coast Guard and the government of Mexico are investigating this tragic incident. According to a CNN news report, the investigation is still in the early stages and the main focus is moving the ship to a location for repairs to begin and get the tall ship back on course. The New York City Emergency Management commissioner said that inspectors had determined that although there is non-structural damage to the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge, the bridge is safe.
The New York Post reports that there were 277 crew on board — 213 men and 64 women, who were mostly young naval cadets from the Heroica Escuela Naval Militar, the Mexican Navy’s officer training academy based in Antón Lizardo, a fishing town located in the Mexican state of Veracruz.
Kreindler’s Experience with Ship and Boat Cases
Kreindler’s maritime practice is led by New York attorney and veteran U.S. Navy officer Dan Rose. Mr. Rose was recently appointed Lead Counsel for all personal injury and wrongful death litigation arising from the 2024 fatal Key Bridge Dali container ship collision in Baltimore, Maryland. Together with Mr. Mahoney they are prosecuting all claims on behalf of all victims and family members of the Key Bridge Disaster. Kreindler attorneys have experience in all aspects of maritime legal issues, both procedural and substantive, and our work routinely navigates challenges such as:
Kreindler has likely represented more clients involved in cross-border cases than any other wrongful death and serious injury law firm in the United States, including numerous cases involving Mexico. When foreigners visiting the U.S. are seriously injured or killed, Kreindler attorneys can often help victims and families seek justice and compensation in the United States.
Kreindler & Kreindler LLP was recently named 2024 Transportation Law Firm of the Year by the National Law Journal. Since 1950, the firm has represented victims and their families following boating, maritime, airplane, helicopter and train disasters. Our attorneys have been appointed leading counsel in nearly every major commercial airline disaster case in the U.S. and abroad. Kreindler maintains offices in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.
Endnotes
Photo credit: ARM Cuauhtémoc Mexican Navy Training Ship via Flickr by Choo Yut Shing
The focus, like any major marine casualty, is going to be the man, the machine and the environment. I think the NTSB in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard and potentially the Mexican government, will be looking at what operational issues might have led to the allision.