Ship and rig owners and operators have a duty to provide the safest environment possible for crew members. Accidents can happen when they fail to do so. If the accident is the result of the direct negligence of the owner or operator or due to the disappearance of a ship or rag, the victims may be eligible to file an offshore injury.
Anyone who has experience of an accident, bodily injury or emergency treatment during ship or rag service has the right to contact an offshore accident lawyer to determine legal options.
You and your family are entitled to certain rights under maritime law. To discuss your offshore accident with one of our offshore accident attorneys.
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What kind of offshore accidents can happen?
The types of accidents that can happen will vary depending on the location. For example, some accidents can prevent explosions and fires. People working on ships, platforms, and rigs are regularly surrounded by flammable and possibly explosive materials. If there is a fault in a ventilation system, if the fuel is stored properly, or the ships crash into each other, explosions and fires can occur, and injuries from such accidents can be catastrophic and even fatal.
Accidents can also happen due to falling objects. In fact, hitting a flying or falling object is the most common injury in oil rigs and other vessels. Support structures and large, heavy equipment that is not correctly or adequately secured can potentially injure people calling.
Another type of accident that can happen is a slip and read. Oil rigs and ship decks can be tough places to work in severe weather. Those who work on ships on wet surfaces slip and fall. But it’s not just bad weather as it can slip and fall. Loose stair welds, rubbish walkways, and tails without handrails can cause injury to a worker.
Injuries Stemming From Offshore Accidents
Offshore workers may experience burns, spinal and brain injuries, back and bone injuries, eye injuries, and crush injuries. Burn injuries can be long-term or even life-threatening, and physical injuries can be quite severe. Injury to the spinal cord or SCI can cause a person to lose function in one or more limbs and/or lead to temporary or permanent paralysis.
Traumatic brain injuries, also known as TBI, are injuries workers may experience in extreme situations. If he or she sustains such an injury, the person may experience problems with neural activity and long-term cognitive impairments. Back and orthopedic injuries can negatively affect a worker’s ability to work. Furthermore, when workers experience joint, tissue, or bone injuries, the effects can be short or long-term and can range from juvenile to very severe.
Eye injuries, like back injuries, can significantly impair a worker’s ability to perform his or her work, as any type of eye injury can result in vision loss or vision loss. Workers can also maintain a few digits or crush injuries all over the body, especially if the worker is trapped under or between heavy objects.
Offshore Injury Facts
Below is a list of the truths of offshore accidents, according to a report by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This report details the accidents at HSE from April 2012 to March 2013.
The HSE reported 47 major offshore injuries, up from 36 the previous year.
The most common injuries are caused by handling, lifting, or carrying.
The second most common injury result is movement, slipping and falling, and falling from a height.
Handling, lifting, and carrying; Hit by a moving object; Slipping and tripping, And 90% of injuries result from falling from a height.
Other top causes of injuries include hazardous substances, fires, electric shocks, and accidents caused by working with machinery.
About 91 percent of all seriously injured were limbs.
Maintenance and construction work continues in the most dangerous environments, resulting in the most injuries.
The second most dangerous work environment is desk operation, which has caused the most injuries.
Other hazardous work environments include diving, drilling, handling, and manufacturing.
What to do after an offshore accident
There are several steps that offshore workers should be injured after an accident. Although many workers may tremble and get scared during an injury, they need to be aware of these steps and follow them as much as possible.
1. Seek medical attention
On the ground, help is more readily available if you are injured. On a ship, the victims have become more isolated. Telephone and other communication services are not working, so emergency crews cannot arrive after a few hours. Even if it arrived quickly, a ship could go out of nowhere in the middle of the sea, and it could take several hours for an emergency team to reach the victim. Moreover, not every vessel is equipped with onboard treatment facilities. On land, injured people can be transferred to several hospitals or clinics, but this is not the case at sea.
Regardless of when and where you were injured, it is essential to seek medical help immediately after the incident. Your health and well-being are essential, but some people prefer to self-medicate or ignore their injuries altogether. Our attorneys advise against this and urge the victims of the accident to seek attention from their own physician or the emergency room of the local hospital as soon as possible.
2. Inform your employer about the injury
Injured offshore workers should be advised of their injuries by their employers as soon as possible. This means, at the very least, that the victim should seek immediate advice from his or her immediate caregiver or directly. Depending on the nature of the injuries, coworkers can take it upon themselves to notify the employer of the accident. Still, accident victims should not rely on those workers to handle the job. In fact, the victims of the accident are encouraged to write down what happened and to provide the employer with a copy of that report as soon as possible.
3. Gather the necessary information
Unfortunately, some employers will try their best to properly compensate the victim of his accident. That’s why maintaining complete documentary evidence of everything that happened after the accident is final for injured offshore workers. The documents should include contact information of all witnesses to the incident as well as photos of the scene of the accident and all equipment that may have caused the injury.
4. Stay calm and never sign anything
While it is true that offshore workers should report their losses to their employers, they should never talk to others about the details of the incident. Simple comments made to a friend or other coworker at work can be used against you at a later date if you need to sue your employer. Likewise, victims should never sign any documents presented by their employers or accept a settlement offer without consulting a lawyer or admitting any guilt.
5. Seek legal guidance
Offshore worker protection laws are particular and can be complicated. Accordingly, injured workers should seek the advice of lawyers knowledgeable in maritime and coastal injury law. Working with such attorneys will only give the victims the best chance of compensation for their injuries.
Employers have specific rules and obligations under the law; when they fail to follow these rules, they can be legally liable.
Types of offshore claims
In general, there are four possible ways in which most injured offshore workers and their families can recover. However, individuals should note that there are several factors to consider when determining which method is best based on the specific information in the case due to the worker’s injury or illness. For example, how the accident or illness occurred, as well as how the accident or illness occurred, must be considered.
Suppose an offshore worker is injured or killed in a maritime accident. In that case, he or she (or his or her loved one) may be entitled to death under the General Maritime Act, the Jones Act, the High Sea Act, or the Recovery of Long Shoreman and Harbor Workers Act.
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Recovery under maritime law
Over the years, maritime law has evolved through common law and various court decisions. Today, laws provide benefits and protection to certain marine workers. Some of the more significant developments in the law include the obligation of ship owners to provide marine vessels, as well as maintenance and healing.
Vessel seas imply owners’ responsibility to maintain and properly equip their ships. If a ship is deemed invisible, an offshore worker or another type of seaweed is injured or becomes ill, the owner of that ship may be legally liable for the loss of the worker. If you believe that you have an injury or illness due to the disappearance of a ship, then a Lipcon, Margalis, Alsina and Winkleman, P.A. Lawyers help you defend your rights.
Jones law
Marine workers do many dangerous jobs with a very high risk of injury. Under the Jones Act, those injured or ill as a result of employment may have the right to sue their employers if the shipowner or other crew member neglects to cause them injury or death. Injured persons and/or their loved ones may be entitled to file a claim under the Jose Act, and working with a knowledgeable lawyer may help such victims receive their due compensation.
Death on the high seas
The Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) was enacted in 1920 in an effort to protect the legal status of Shimon families who died in international waters due to formality or negligence. Under this law, a sea child, wife, and other dependents are able to cover the cost of burial, medical bills, and other damages, among other things. This type of person is identified as a dependent survivor. Claims for wrongful death must be brought by a personal representative of the estate. This person may be elected by will or appointed by the court according to state law.
Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA)
The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act provides workers with specific protection against work-related injuries and occupational diseases. More specifically, the United States provides legal remedies and compensation for those who are disabled as a result of injuries when they are used to unload, load, repair, and build certain types of vessels in navigable waters or adjacent areas.
Some of the workers covered by this law include long-distance workers, port workers, shipbuilders, shipbreakers, and ship repairmen. Semen under the Jomon Act is not covered by the LHWCA. Compensation for state workers may also be an option. This is an amusing area of law known as the Twilight Zone. Contact Maritime and Gadpops.