Maritime Accidents

Common Offshore Vessel Accidents

Vessels are the backbone of the maritime industry. No work can be done on the open sea or along our waterways without them. Vessels come in many shapes and sizes, but they each pose significant injury risks to seamen, longshoremen and passengers.

Tugboat Accidents

Tugboats maneuver vessels that cannot move on their own, such as barges or ships stranded in emergency situations. Even though they’re smaller than most boats, they can cause big injuries as a result of collision with other boats, capsizing, slip and falls and mechanical malfunctions.

Container (Cargo) Ship Accidents

Cargo ships are massive commercial vessels used to carry bulk items across the ocean. The weight and size of their containers requires a crane to load and unload goods. Cargo ships pose dangers from equipment malfunction, pinch point injuries, explosions and collisions when tugboat coordination doesn’t go as smoothly as planned.

Cruise Line Accidents

Cruise liners are roughly the shape and size of cargo vessels, but are used for passengers on pleasure voyages. Flooding, virus outbreak, capsizing, dock accidents and on-shore excursion injuries are covered under maritime law.

Oil Rig Accidents

Offshore drilling for oil is made possible through the use of these offshore platforms. Due to the hazardous working environment from both the sea and extraction of highly flammable substances, minor and severe accidents are frequent. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. oil and gas extraction industry has a fatality rate seven times higher than any other occupation.

Oil Tanker Accidents

Oil tankers are classified by their size, and all are responsible for transporting hazardous – and often combustible – materials between refineries and consumer markets. The risks of injury from fire, explosions, onboarding and unloading are similar to those on oil rigs.

Barge Accidents

Barges are flat-bottomed vessels used to carry freight down canals and rivers. Usually, they are towed by tugboats. Collisions, rigging accidents, falling hazards, pinch point injuries, spinal cord injuries and even death to a crew member are possible while working on a barge.

Charter Boat Accidents

Charter vessels are used for recreational and commercial fishing. Capsizing, man overboard, slip and fall injuries, and equipment malfunction are common injuries incurred on a charter boat. Accidents typically result from misconduct, negligence or unseaworthiness of the vessel.

Dredging Accidents

Much of the system of navigable waterways that connect our nation’s states were made so through the help of dredging vessels. They excavate sediment through the use of heavy machinery, such as a cutting tool and a crane arm. However, these tools can also cause horrific injuries, such as amputation, paralysis or death.

Ferry Accidents

Ferries are small boats used in passenger and vehicle transport for short distances across the water. Mooring accidents are common, as are slip and falls and injuries related to vessel unseaworthiness.

Crew Boat Accidents

Crew boats are primarily used to bring fresh supplies and crew members to offshore drilling platforms, jack-up rigs, drilling ships and barges. Rough seas, high winds and bad weather can cause deck accidents while loading and unloading cargo and transferring personnel.

Jack-up Rig Accident

A jack-up rig is a mobile offshore drilling unit that drills the most offshore wells. Injuries on a jack-up rig can be due to machinery and work performed on the platform, or a malfunction or collapse of the unit itself.

Common Types of Maritime Accidents

The following is a list of common injuries sustained by maritime workers:

• Bone fractures, sprains and dislocation
• Collision
• Slip and fall
• Defective and malfunctioning equipment
• Pinch point injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Herniated disks
• Fall from tall heights
• Falling overboard
• Chemical or fire burns
• Wrongful death

Causes of Maritime Accidents

Sometimes nothing can prevent an accident from happening, especially on the ocean where Mother Nature has control. However, the number one cause of accidents and injuries to workers on vessels is negligence. Improper training, failure to repair broken equipment, overworking seamen, poor navigation, and failing to install no-slip deck surfaces or keep decks free of debris, all contribute to workplace injuries. Accidents caused by negligence on behalf of captain or crew members are covered under the Jones Act.

Maritime Accident Claims

There are four laws and regulations that assure maritime workers who are injured or suffer a work-related illness will be compensated. The exact amount always depends on the severity of the injury or illness, and the incident that caused the accident.

• The Jones Act, also known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, can cover costs of medical exams, treatment, rehabilitation and lost wages. It may also provide further compensation depending on the severity of injury.
• The Longshore Harbor and Workers’ Compensation Act covers seamen who are not considered under the Jones Act. This includes harbor and dock workers, ship repairers, ship builders and ship breakers.
• Death on the High Seas Act allows the family of a worker who dies on the job to be compensated when the death results from negligence.
• Maintenance and Cure covers medical benefits and day-to-day living expenses while an injured worker heals.

When you are injured on the job, seek medical attention immediately. Be sure to save any medical reports or receipts of out-of-pocket costs incurred from the injury.

Maritime law does not have a simple workers’ compensation claims process, so it’s in your best interest to secure an attorney experienced in maritime law. Your lawyer can help you understand which maritime law applies to your situation, as well as gather evidence to support your negligence claim.
At Pierce | Skrabanek, we are those lawyers. We’re prepared to help maritime workers receive the compensation that will help them heal and support their families after a workplace injury.