A stevedore is a person who works at a waterfront, loading and unloading ships. This type of work requires both strength and skill. Stevedores must understand both the loading equipment that they are using and the vessels upon which they are loading and unloading, as well as specific procedures for handling different types of cargo such as hazardous or perishable materials.
Ports are busy places, because most non-bulk goods are transported by intermodal containers that move by a combination of rail, truck, and boat to their eventual destinations. If you look around a port, you will see containers being loaded onto ships with cranes, other containers being unloaded from ships with cranes, containers being placed on trucks and trains, and containers being moved into and around storage areas where they will stay until it is time for them to move onto their next destination. With all of this activity, there is always the potential for workplace accidents and injuries.
A man from St. James Parish, Louisiana is pursuing a lawsuit against a stevedoring company. Specifically, he claims that negligence on the part of St. James Stevedoring Co. LLC resulted in a fall which left him severely and permanently disabled. The accident occurred in 2012, when the man was working as a deck hand on the Gene H. As part of his job, he was training a co-worker. As they worked, the ship rocked and the plaintiff lost his balance. He fell, and as he fell, he hit his back and then continued to fall ten more feet onto the deck. The plaintiff alleges that the fall would not have occurred if the captain had been instructed properly.
After the accident, the man was transported to a hospital. Examination by doctors at the hospital revealed spinal injuries, including a herniated disc, which would require surgery and a lengthy recovery. He continues to experience severe pain from his injuries, and they have left him permanently disabled and suffering from depression and anxiety.
Another stevedoring accident in Alaska resulted in the death of the injured worker. A man who was working at the Port of Anchorage died when he was pinned between two pieces of equipment as he loaded the equipment into rail cars.
In light of the above, if you have been injured similarly to the plaintiffs discussed above, it is critical that you immediately contact a seasoned Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Attorney.
Barrett Law PLLC: Helping Injured Mississippi Stevedores and Their Families
The Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC understand that it can be very difficult to recover from a stevedoring accident because those accidents can result in many types of serious injuries. In addition to a lengthy recovery time, you may be concerned about your medical bills as well as paying your household bills now and into the future because your injuries may have rendered you unable to return to your previous physically demanding job. If you were injured in a stevedoring accident, get the help you need from the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC. Please call our office today at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule your free, initial consultation.