Case at a glance
- Recovery: $475,000 Settlement
- Injury: Shoulder injury and complex regional pain syndrome
- Practice: Maritime Injuries
- Attorney: Vuk Vujasinovic
An understaffed engine room
Drilling mud had collected in the bilge. With the engine department short-handed, buckets of the heavy material were left in designated walkways.
Daniel began moving them. He felt a pop in his shoulder while carrying a bucket and later needed surgery.
Surgery did not end the pain
An MRI showed tendon tears and bone spurs in Daniel’s injured shoulder. He underwent surgery, but the operation did not end his pain. His shoulder and arm became swollen and discolored. Physical therapy was painful and produced little improvement. The medication he was taking also provided little relief from the pain. Six weeks after surgery, his doctor diagnosed reflex sympathetic dystrophy, or RSD.
RSD is an older term for one form of complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS. The condition often affects an arm or leg after an injury. It involves changes in the nervous system that can affect pain signaling and the regulation of blood flow and skin temperature. A person can continue to experience substantial pain and difficulty using the limb even after treatment of the original injury.
With CRPS, pain can exceed what the original injury would typically cause. Some people experience burning pain or become unusually sensitive to touch. Swelling, stiffness, and changes in skin color or temperature can accompany the pain and make movement difficult. Symptoms and recovery vary: some people improve, while others continue to have significant pain and loss of function. MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, explains these effects.
For Daniel, the continuing pain and restricted use of his arm prevented a return to offshore work. By the end of rehabilitation, he had reached only 75 percent of his mobility goals. He could not pass an offshore physical or return to his career as a chief engineer.
Evidence of the work and its consequences
Vuk and the VB Attorneys team pursued Jones Act, unseaworthiness, and maintenance-and-cure claims. Company-employee depositions and a maritime expert addressed the working conditions.
Vocational, economic, and life-care-planning experts addressed Daniel’s losses. Negotiations continued after mediation, and the company agreed to a $475,000 settlement.
Questions about the case
Related legal help
Learn about maritime injuries or explore more case results.
To discuss an injury with VB Attorneys, 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.