The maritime industry is full of hazards that can cause accidents and injuries to workers, including neck injuries. If you get hurt on the job on a ship, in a shipyard, or on an offshore rig, contact a maritime lawyer to learn your rights and how you can seek compensation.
About Maritime Neck Injuries
Maritime jobs are risky, including those on ships, in shipyards and ports, and on offshore installations. Maritime workers handle equipment and machinery, work in crowded and confined spaces, and often in rough waters and bad weather. When added to human error, many of the factors involved in maritime work make neck injuries common.
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The neck is vulnerable and more susceptible to severe injuries than many other parts of the body. According to research, neck injuries are not only common in maritime jobs, but combined with head injuries, they are some of the most costly. On average, a head or neck injury costs $100,000 per incident.
Types of Neck Injuries in Maritime Jobs
Neck injuries come in a few different forms. Blunt trauma occurs when something blunt strikes the neck, which can cause bruising, fractures, and deep tissue damage. Penetrating trauma occurs when a sharper object strikes and penetrates the neck. Both types of injuries can be mild, severe, or even fatal.
Sudden movements on a ship or other maritime setting can cause an injury without anything actually touching the neck. This is known as a whiplash injury. Some specific types of injuries that can result from various types of trauma or accidents include:
- Sprains and strains
- Disk injuries
- Lacerations and puncture wounds
- Fractures
- Pinched nerves
- Spinal cord injuries
What Causes Neck Injuries in Maritime Jobs?
The maritime industry has many inherent risks. Rough waters and bad weather cause movements, leading to accidents and injuries. While these cannot be controlled, many other factors that cause accidents and, in some cases, neck injuries can be avoided:
- Inadequate training of workers
- Lack of safety training, procedures, or gear
- Crowded deck spaces that lead to falls
- Slippery surfaces or improperly maintained stairs, ladders, or gangways that lead to falls
- Improperly stored or secured cargo or equipment
- Poorly maintained or malfunctioning equipment
- Failure to follow procedures or to use equipment or machinery correctly
- Lifting heavy objects incorrectly
- Collisions with other vessels or stationary objects
How to Prevent Maritime Neck Injuries
Some conditions in the maritime industry cannot be controlled, and not all accidents can be prevented. However, most injuries, including neck injuries, result from preventative factors. Employers are responsible for making the workplace as safe as possible, which means:
- Ensuring workers are trained for their jobs
- Providing adequate safety training and protective equipment
- Ensuring all equipment and machinery are maintained and functional
- Providing a culture of safety
- Providing workers with adequate break time
- Keeping work areas uncluttered and free from slippery surfaces
- Ensuring high spaces have sufficient protection from falls
Examples of Maritime Neck Injuries
These real-world examples from boats and maritime workplaces illustrate how common neck injuries are in the industry.
Coast Guard Neck Injuries
A smuggler rammed a U.S. Coast Guard boat in the waters off California in 2022 while attempting to escape law enforcement. He was moving about a dozen undocumented workers when the incident occurred.
The Coast Guard vessel tried to stop the smuggler, who then rammed their boat twice. They ultimately disabled the smuggler’s boat, but four officers on board the Coast Guard vessel suffered back and neck injuries because of the ramming events.
Offshore Worker Neck Injury
An offshore worker suffered a neck injury on a vessel and sued his employer, Helix Energy Solutions Group, as a seaman covered under the Jones Act. He suffered a pinched nerve in his neck after moving objects, including a heavy beam, on the company’s drill boat.
He received maintenance and cure benefits and then sought additional compensation through a Jones Act lawsuit. Helix attempted to deny additional benefits by claiming the man did not meet the law’s definition of a seaman. A court did not accept those arguments, and the lawsuit proceeded.
How to Seek Compensation After a Maritime Neck Injury
If you are hurt in a workplace accident in the maritime industry, getting medical care should be your priority. Once you are stable, be sure an accident report has been filed and that you have a copy. Save your medical records as well. These documents will help you seek compensation.
Contact an experienced maritime lawyer to determine which maritime laws apply to you and can help you recover damages. Seamen are covered by the Jones Act, while many shipyard and offshore workers are covered by the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act or the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.
A lawyer can help you determine if you are eligible for a federal workers’ compensation claim or if you can file a lawsuit for negligence. They can help you seek compensation for medical costs, ongoing care and treatments, lost wages, and more. They give you the best chance of recovering damages, so don’t hesitate to reach out.