Diagnosing Errors

The May 28 tragic crash of a helicopter used for transporting offshore workers to drilling rigs and oil production platforms is a case in point that not all maritime offshore worker seamen injuries happen on offshore vessels or structures.

Because production platform rig explosions usually get the most media attention, the general public might not know that there are many other causes of offshore worker injuries, and getting from the shore to offshore job site is one of them. And since offshore workers do a lot of traveling between their offshore work location and land, there are many dangers of maritime worker transport injuries. Seamen employees often have to be transported by a crane carrying a personnel transfer basket or via helicopter onto various worksites, and many things can go wrong out at sea, including airborne equipment failure.

Maritime injury attorney William Gee III, who provides Louisiana and the Gulf Coast with aggressive legal representation in offshore and maritime law cases, has seen countless offshore worker injuries that occurred during travel across the Gulf to offshore structures.

Personnel basket transfers are especially hazardous, as they involve crane operation and present a high risk of offshore worker injury due to potential mechanical problems, operator inexperience, bad weather or poor visibility. An offshore worker may use a personnel basket to be transferred to and from a crew boat onto a submersible, semi-submersible, jack-up, inland barge, drill ship, barge, dredge or other maritime work structure in the Gulf of Mexico.

Offshore employers must therefore do all they can to protect offshore and maritime workers not only from oil drilling rig disasters and production platform accidents but from offshore accident injuries that maritime workers sustain on the way to their job or when going ashore.

The recent offshore helicopter crash caused one death at sea, which was that of the pilot. The Associated Press article, which appeared in the Miami Herald, said a Coast Guard news release reported that divers from the Ocean Inspector vessel had discovered the pilot inside the helicopter cockpit. Though the pilot’s fatal Gulf accident was a tragic loss, thankfully there were no other helicopter passengers or offshore workers on board at the time of the wreck. Only a few years ago in 2009, however, nine people were killed on their way to an offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The event was a warning to all offshore and maritime workers that they take great risks the moment they board a boat or helicopter on their way to work.

Offshore workers need to know that they have rights to legal recourse and compensation, even if they are injured on the way to or from their offshore job. If a maritime worker is injured due to negligence of a third party who is not the offshore worker’s employer, federal maritime law usually provides the rules of law and remedies. In offshore transport accidents, such as a case of a defective transfer basket, mechanical crane failure, faulty helicopter, negligent crane operator or reckless helicopter pilot, maritime tort could apply.

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Driving in New England can be challenging any time of year. Sudden blizzards or violent rainstorms. Aggressive drivers on Interstate 84. Confusing street patterns created by Colonial settlers based on chaotic cow paths.

Add to the list the dramatic differences in state traffic laws throughout New England. What’s legal in Massachusetts can often be against the law in Rhode Island or Vermont. Here are some of the highlights from a recent article published by The Boston Globe.

Take Connecticut’s confusing traffic laws. Connecticut is a hands-free state in terms of cell phones. This means you need a headset if you want to make calls on the road. Talking on a cell phone without a headset while driving can result in a $125 fine. The same fine applies to texting while driving in Connecticut.

Connecticut has a “primary” seat belt law, which means a police officer can pull you over and fine you whenever an officer sees someone unbelted in either front seat. As for passengers riding in the back seat, Connecticut’s seat belt laws only require passengers under 16 years old to buckle up.

Connecticut’s child safety restraint laws are also unique. Children under 7 years old or less than 60 pounds must sit in either a child booster or car seat that’s belted into place. All others must be buckled up. Meanwhile in Massachusetts, children must be strapped into a car safety seat until they are either 8 years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall.

At the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli, a Hartford Connecticut personal injury attorneys at our law firm can work with you if you’re dealing with a car accident. We know what’s legal or against the law in Connecticut.

That might sound simple. But keeping up with Connecticut’s constantly changing laws can be complicated. Allow us to help you cut through the red tape and decide what’s the best thing for you to do, including whether to file an auto accident lawsuit in Ct.

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Laws regulating auto accidents in cities like Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore might seem strict. But how tough are they? And how do they compare with other states nationwide?

A recent nationwide study gives a grade to each state for injury prevention. The top states nationwide for injury prevention are California and New York, which each received a score of 9 out of 10. Maryland was close behind with a score of eight. Washington, D.C., and Illinois each received a grade of seven. Alabama and Georgia earned a score of six.

The scores were based on 10 different injury prevention indicators. These include whether the state has a primary seat belt law, mandatory ignition interlocks for a convicted drunk driver, universal helmet laws for motorcycle riders, booster seat laws and regulations regarding bicycle helmet usage.

“There are proven, evidence-based strategies that can spare millions of Americans from injuries each year,” said Jeff Levi, Executive Director of The Trust for America’s Health, which co-authored the study with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “This report focuses on specific, scientifically supported steps we can take to make it easier for Americans to keep themselves and their families safer.”

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