Alaska Maritime Worker Suffers Crushing Finger Injuries
A maritime crew member on a freighter off Alaska was airlifted to the hospital after he suffered crushing injuries aboard the vessel.
According to the Coast Guard, the 53-year-old maritime worker suffered the crushing injury while working on a diesel engine. His right index finger got caught in one of the gears, and was crushed and partially severed. The worker was aboard the vessel, Horizon Anchorage. The master of the vessel informed the Coast Guard center in Juneao and the agency dispatched a rescue helicopter to transport the injured worker to the hospital.
Workers aboard ships and cargo vessels face the risk of a range of injuries beyond those faced by workers on land. Maritime workers, including fishermen, offshore workers, ship crew members, and tugboat operators are required to operate complicated marine equipment.They may have to perform shift-based duties that increase their exposure to fatigue and stress, increasing the chances of an accident. Also, when an injury occurs, workers are far from emergency medical care. Even airlifting an injured seaman from a vessel via a medical helicopter can be a tough exercise. Also, workers are far from their families and loved ones, which only compounds the stress of the injury.
Maritime laws, like the Jones Act, acknowledge the hard conditions workers toil under, and provide a range of benefits in compensation for injuries. Work aboard a vessel is always fraught with the risk of injury. The Jones Act makes compensation possible, even for minor negligence by an employer. In fact, a seaman injured while performing activities he knows are dangerous may also be eligible for compensation from the employer. Jones Act seamen may be eligible to recover lost wages for all lost working hours when they are incapable of working, as well as payments for medical expenses and rehabilitation costs.
All Seamen Under the Jones Act Have Rights to “Maintenance and Cure Benefits"
"Maintenance" includes provisions for the daily expenses for the seaman he would have received if he had not been injured. These can include a daily allowance to meet his food and shelter expenses.
"Cure" includes medical care, hospitalization expenses, and rehabilitation therapy, at least until the injured seaman reaches a level of maximum medical improvement. A seaman is believed to have reached a state of maximum medical improvement (MMI) when he has recovered from his injures to the maximum extent possible. This state of MMI can become a point of contention between a maritime lawyer and the employer of a seaman because the Act does not provide for maintenance and cure after the MMI is reached.
