Case at a glance
- Recovery: Confidential Settlement
- Injury: Left shoulder injury; two surgeries
- Practice: Maritime injuries
- Attorneys: Brian Beckcom
An everyday task aboard the vessel
William’s work aboard the vessel included handling food supplies. In November 2014, he was retrieving milk boxes from beneath shelving in a walk-in cooler when the incident occurred.
The task required pulling, pushing and rotating heavy containers. William alleged that he was not given the proper equipment, training or assistance to do the work safely. He injured his left shoulder while handling the milk.
What began as a task in the vessel’s food-storage area became an injury requiring medical treatment and, ultimately, two operations on the same shoulder.
Two shoulder surgeries
William underwent two surgeries to repair his left shoulder. His claim addressed more than the treatment he had already received: he also sought compensation for the injury’s effect on his ability to work and for the care he would need going forward.
In the lawsuit, William described painful and disabling injuries, lost earnings and a reduced ability to earn a living. Those were claims the team pursued on his behalf, not findings by a jury.
Brian brought the claim under maritime law
Brian represented William in a lawsuit filed in Brazoria County, Texas. The case asserted claims under the Jones Act and general maritime law against the companies involved in his employment and the vessel’s operation.
The lawsuit focused on the conditions of the task: whether William had a safe place to work, appropriate tools and equipment, adequate training and the help necessary to perform his duties. It also alleged that the companies responsible for the work had failed to exercise reasonable care in supervising how it was done.
That kept the case focused on how William was expected to handle the supplies aboard the vessel, rather than treating the injury as a shoulder problem disconnected from his job.
Pursuing medical-care and living-expense benefits
The team also pursued William’s claim for maintenance and cure, the maritime benefits at issue while he recovered from his injury. His lawsuit alleged that benefits had been delayed or withheld and sought recovery for those failures.
The case therefore involved both the circumstances of the injury and the employer’s obligations after William needed treatment. Brian and the team pursued these claims alongside compensation for his physical injuries and their impact on his working life.
A confidential settlement
William’s claims against his employer resolved through a confidential settlement. The financial terms are not disclosed.
For William, the case concerned the consequences of an ordinary job assignment that ended in two shoulder surgeries. VB Attorneys pursued his claims over the work he had been required to perform, the support he said was missing and the treatment his injury required.
Questions about the case
Related legal help
Learn about maritime injury claims or read about another deckhand 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.