Case at a glance
- Recovery: Confidential Settlement
- Injury: Right leg and ankle injury requiring surgery
- Practice: Maritime injuries
- Attorneys: Brian Beckcom and Brendan Fradkin
A storage compartment above an open stairway
Captain Alex was moving a crate of light globes and life-ring lights from a storage area beneath the vessel’s wheelhouse to the main deck. The access opening was low enough that he had to get down on his hands and knees to enter.
Getting back out required another awkward maneuver. Alex described crawling backward with the equipment, then feeling for the stairs with his feet. He could not simply stand up and walk forward out of the compartment.
As he moved from the storage area toward the stairs, he lost his footing and fell. His right leg and ankle were injured, and he later underwent orthopedic surgery.
Measuring the space Alex had to work in
Brian and the VB Attorneys team retained biomechanical expert Jeremy Bauer to examine how the work area’s design affected Alex’s movement. Bauer inspected the vessel, photographed the area and used a laser scanner to document the stairs and storage-compartment entrance.
He combined eight scans with photographs to create a scaled three-dimensional model. That work allowed the team to examine the relationship between the doorway, the landing, the open side of the stairs and the handrail.
The inspection found less than 14 inches between the storage entrance and the open edge of the stairway. That distance was approximately the length of Alex’s work boot. There was no guardrail separating the storage access from the open stairway.
Bauer concluded that the unguarded opening and insufficient landing created a foreseeable fall hazard. His analysis connected Alex’s description of backing out of the compartment with the physical layout of the vessel.
Looking at the task as well as the stairs
The team also retained human-factors and safety expert Joellen Gill. She and a safety engineer inspected, photographed and measured the area, examining both the condition of the stairs and the task Alex was expected to perform.
Gill identified worn stair edges, inconsistent tread dimensions and variations in riser height. She also examined how carrying equipment backward affected a worker’s ability to see the next step and place a foot securely.
Her opinion was that the storage-compartment access and stairway conditions combined to increase the risk of a fall. The expert work gave the team a detailed explanation of the maneuver Alex had to make and the hazards he encountered while making it.
The investigation helped the team present Alex’s claim through measurements, photographs and analysis of the actual work area.
A confidential maritime injury settlement
Brian, Brendan and the VB Attorneys team pursued Alex’s Jones Act case in Virginia, working with local counsel. The claim resolved through a confidential settlement.
The case focused on a practical question: could a crew member safely retrieve equipment from this compartment and get back onto the stairs? The vessel inspection and expert reconstruction helped turn that question into a concrete account of the work area and the fall.
Questions about the case
Related legal help
Learn about maritime injury claims, or read about another vessel-access injury case.
To speak with VB Attorneys about an injury aboard a vessel, call 877-724-7800 for a free consultation.
Every case is different. Prior results depend on the facts of the individual case and do not guarantee a similar outcome.